On 11 April, a joint seminar of the Council of Europe Project "HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) for Ukraine, including during wartime" and  EU   will be held for European lawyers on Temporary Protection Directive covering people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The seminar is organised in cooperation with the French- and German-speaking bars association.

The Russian full-scale aggression in Ukraine has triggered unprecedented displacement across Europe. There are currently almost 6.5 million refugees from Ukraine who have sought refuge globally, while some 3.7 million people remain forcibly displaced inside the country according to UNHCR data as of 20 February 2024.

The Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) 2001/55/EC is being applied aimed to provide immediate protection and basic standards of treatment for refugees, including the access to  accommodation, labour market, and social and health services. 

The aim of the seminar is to present and discuss the developments in the implementation of the EU Temporary Protection Directive for protection of the Ukrainians who were displaced due to war. In addition, a new free online HELP course on Temporary Protection in the European Union will be presented. The information course aims to increase the knowledge of legal professionals and other relevant stakeholders on the practical application of the EU Temporary protection regime. The course covers the activation of the temporary protection regime, differences with other types of international protection, history and possible options on the future of the current temporary protection implementing decision concerning Ukraine and of the whole regime as a whole. The authors of the course are experts Alessio Sangiorgi, HELP E-desk manager for Italy and Viacheslav Liubashenko, HELP E-desk manager for Ukraine.

The key speakers of the seminar:

• Ms Elena Gobetti, Asylum Unit, DG for Migration and Home, European Commission
• Ms Gemma Woods,  Senior Legal Officer, UNHCR Regional Bureau for Europe
• Mr Jean-Marc Picard, lawyer in immigration law and international mobility, expert of  the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE)
• Mr Viacheslav Liubashenko, expert, manager of the Ukrainian eDesk
• Ms Martina Huber, European Union  Agency for Fundamental Rights
• Ms Ana Isabela Trifescu, Information Assistant, Information and Analysis Sector, European Union Asylum Agency.

We invite the lawyers and attorneys specialising in migration law and dealing with the protection of the rights of Ukrainians with temporary protection status in EU countries to participate in the seminar in online format.

 To register, please fill out the online form: https://forms.gle/NbHD5pZd3cjBLwnx8