Ukrainian refugees arrive by bus at a sports hall in in Waddinxveen in the Netherlands. EPA
Ukrainian refugees arrive by bus at a sports hall in in Waddinxveen in the Netherlands. EPA
Ukrainian refugees arrive by bus at a sports hall in in Waddinxveen in the Netherlands. EPA
Ukrainian refugees arrive by bus at a sports hall in in Waddinxveen in the Netherlands. EPA

How will EU's refugee scheme for Ukrainians work?


Tim Stickings
  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine

The EU will take in refugees from Ukraine by granting them an initial one-year residency permit that comes with the right to education and employment — but does not guarantee asylum for everyone fleeing the war.

In a rare show of unity on the divisive issue of migration, EU countries invoked a temporary protection status that was designed in the fallout from the 1990s wars in the former Yugoslavia but had never previously been activated.

About a million people are already estimated to have fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries, including EU members Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, the last of which will be home to an EU-run humanitarian hub.

The number of refugees is expected to rise as reports of Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine continue.

Who is eligible for protection?

Three categories of people are eligible for protection if the war forces them out of their homes:

Ukrainian nationals and their families;

Long-term residents of Ukraine and their families;

Foreign nationals and stateless people with a temporary status in Ukraine and their families — but only if they cannot return to their country of origin.

Family members covered are spouses and partners, children under 18 and close relatives who lived with the family before they had to flee.

Operational guidelines sent to border guards say checks should be simplified and take place away from usual crossing points to speed up the process, but that security procedures should still take place.

Who is not eligible?

Those who have only a temporary status in Ukraine, such as asylum seekers and people under international protection, are expected to return to their home countries — if they can safely do so.

The European Commission said these people should be allowed to transit through EU countries on their way home.

How long can refugees stay?

The temporary protection status lasts for an initial period of one year. But it automatically rolls over for two further six-month periods, making two years, unless EU leaders decide otherwise.

Member states can extend the protection for one further year — to a total of three — at the proposal of the European Commission.

But the commission can also propose at any time to terminate the temporary protection if it deems that the situation in Ukraine has calmed and people can safely return home.

What will refugees get in the EU?

Refugees will have access to education, housing and the labour market, said EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson.

It means refugees from Ukraine will enjoy greater rights than some asylum seekers in Europe, who sometimes have to live in reception centres and are not allowed to work if staying there.

It also goes further than the rights offered in normal times to Ukrainians, who can typically visit the Schengen area — 26 European countries that have abolished all controls at their mutual borders — for up to three months without the right to work.

The temporary protection law says refugees should have access to social welfare and medical assistance and be able to apply for asylum through the usual route if required.

Refugees rest at a temporary reception centre at a school in Zahony, Hungary. AFP
Refugees rest at a temporary reception centre at a school in Zahony, Hungary. AFP

How have charities reacted?

Oxfam cautiously welcomed what it described as “direct lifeline” for refugees and said it could be a “turning point for Europe”, after what it called the mismanagement of previous migration crises.

It said all EU members needed to “chip in and take responsibility” to stop the four countries bordering Ukraine being overwhelmed — an issue which has proved a formidable obstacle to agreement on migration policy in the past.

Amnesty International said the eligibility criteria should be loosened and said the current rules “exposed the limitations of Europe’s solidarity”.

“We call on them to treat everyone fleeing this conflict equally,” said Eve Geddie, the head of Amnesty’s EU office.

What are other countries doing?

The US has said Ukrainians already in America will be given an 18-month protection status that shields them from deportation and allows them to work.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden was open to accepting further refugees but added: “We would anticipate many of them would want to go to European countries.”

Britain has relaxed visa rules so that people already in the UK can bring grandparents, siblings and adult children over from Ukraine. These people will not have language tests but will still be subject to security checks.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Ukrainians with no links to the UK would be eligible for visa sponsorship by communities or local authorities.

Switzerland says it is willing to discuss taking in refugees but cautioned that its federal asylum centres were nearing full capacity.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Company%20Profile
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SPEC SHEET

Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD  dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10 , 120Hz

Processor: 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8-core

Memory: 8/12GB RAM

Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB

Platform: Android 12

Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2, 108MP wide f/1.8, 10MP telephoto f/4.9, 10MP telephoto 2.4; Space Zoom up to 100x, auto HDR, expert RAW

Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, super slo-mo@960fps

Front camera: 40MP f/2.2

Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare

Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC

I/O: USB-C

SIM: single nano, or nano and SIM, nano and nano, eSIM/nano and nano

Colours: burgundy, green, phantom black, phantom white, graphite, sky blue, red

Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE

If you go

 

  • The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
  • The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
  • The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as  Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

Overview

What: The Arab Women’s Sports Tournament is a biennial multisport event exclusively for Arab women athletes.

When: From Sunday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 12.

Where: At 13 different centres across Sharjah.

Disciplines: Athletics, archery, basketball, fencing, Karate, table tennis, shooting (rifle and pistol), show jumping and volleyball.

Participating countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Qatar and UAE.

Indika
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THE APPRENTICE

Director: Ali Abbasi

Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 3/5

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

World Cricket League Division 2

In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.

UAE fixtures

Thursday, February 8 v Kenya; Friday, February v Canada; Sunday, February 11 v Nepal; Monday, February 12 v Oman; Wednesday, February 14 v Namibia; Thursday, February 15 final

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Abu Dhabi GP schedule

Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm

Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm

Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

The Bio

Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride

She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.

Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years

Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves

She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

The biog

Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists. 

Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.

Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic 

6 UNDERGROUND

Director: Michael Bay

Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco

2.5 / 5 stars

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

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MATCH INFO

Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)

Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm

Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Huddersfield Town permanent signings:

  • Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
  • Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
  • Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
  • Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
  • Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
  • Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
  • Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
  • Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

The biog

Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito

Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa

Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".

Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".

Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach

Updated: March 04, 2022, 11:30 AM`