On 11 April, a joint EU-CoE seminar on Temporary Protection in the European Union was held in Brussels. It was open to European lawyers and covered aspects related to the Temporary Protection Directive covering people fleeing the war in Ukraine. The event is organised under the Council of Europe Project "HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) for Ukraine, including during wartime"  in cooperation with the French- and German-speaking Bas Associations in Belgium.

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

• The aim of the seminar was to present and discuss the developments in the implementation of the EU Temporary Protection Directive and the protection provided to the Ukrainians who were displaced due to war. In addition, a new free online HELP course on Temporary Protection in the European Union has been 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, an overview of the differences with other types of international protection, the historical background and possible options on the future of the 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 online course has been developed by the Council of Europe's Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Programme, in cooperation with CoE representatives of relevant services, such as the office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees (SRSG), as well as with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the EU Agency for Asylum (EUAA), the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and representatives of the European Commission DG Migration and Home Affairs.

The development of the course has been made possible under the Council of Europe Project "HELP for Ukraine, including during wartime", implemented as a part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” (2023-2026), as well as the EU-CoE “Judicial Training on Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights”, funded by the EU Justice Programme (2021-2027).

The HELP online course is available, in English, in self-learning format (free, self-paced, certified) on the CoE HELP e-learning platform and is currently being translated into Ukrainian.

During the seminar, it will also be launched in tutored format for an international group led by Noemi Alarcon Velasco, HELP certified tutor and President of the CCBE Migration Committee.

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.
• Ms Noemie Alarcon Velasco, Chair of the Migration Committee of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe CCBE