Time: 28 May 2025 at 8.30-16.10
Location: Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, Kase 61, Tallinn
The Council of the European Union has adopted a decision to extend the validity of temporary protection until 2026. March. However, Ukrainian war refugees need long-term solutions to maintain and strengthen their livelihoods both in the host country and upon returning to Ukraine. At the EMN Estonia conference, we will discuss with members and partners of the international network the current situation of temporary protection beneficiaries and options for long-term solutions upon the expiration of temporary protection. We will analyze strategies for the labor market integration of Ukrainian war refugees and the importance of the diaspora’s role, and share countries’ challenges and best practices.
The conference will take place on-site at the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences (Kase 61, Tallinn). Please bring an identification document to enter the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences. The working language is English, with simultaneous interpretation into Estonian.
Conference video:
Registration and Morning Coffee
Conference Opening and Welcome Remarks
Veiko Kommusaar
Deputy Director General for Border Guard, Estonian Police and Border Guard Board
Annely Kolk
Ambassador of Estonia to Ukraine (online presentation)
Conference Introductory Presentations
Issues of Ukraine's reconstruction, the impact of the ongoing conflict on long-term planning, the rights and obligations of war refugees, the involvement of the diaspora, and finding long-term solutions will be addressed.
Martin Wagner
ICMPD Senior Asylum Policy Advisor. His work focuses on the Common European Asylum System, temporary protection, asylum responsibility sharing, complementary protection options, and the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.
Meltem İneli Çıger
Associate Professor of International Law at the Faculty of Law, Suleyman Demirel University, specializing in temporary protection and refugee law. In recent years, she has worked on temporary protection for Ukrainians in the EU, managing mass influxes, the new EU crisis regulation, and the intersection of migration law and artificial intelligence.
Elena Coliujco
Head of the Integrated Border Management, Migration and Asylum Policy Directorate at the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Moldova. Additionally, she actively leads several projects aimed at reforming Moldova's immigration and asylum law, aligning it with European Union legal norms.
Dr. Ave Lauren
Migration Policy Expert at the OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, whose work focuses on the Ukrainian displacement crisis. Her recent work areas include the socio-economic integration of displaced Ukrainian war refugees and strategies for planning sustainable return and reintegration in Ukraine.
According to UNHCR, since Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, 6.3 million people have been forced to flee Ukraine. Ukraine has suffered massive human casualties and infrastructure destruction, and people have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety, protection, and assistance. As of 2024, over 55,000 people have received temporary protection in Estonia since the war began.
For the first time in the history of the European Union, the Council of the European Union decided on March 4, 2022, to implement the Temporary Protection Directive to protect people fleeing due to the war in Ukraine. 25. In June 2024, the Council adopted a decision to extend the validity of temporary protection until March 2026. Although temporary protection grants refugees access to the labor market, education, healthcare, and social services similar to local residents, the question arises of how to maintain and strengthen the refugees’ livelihoods after temporary protection ends. As the war has already lasted three years, it is important for host countries to start planning more permanent and long-term solutions in addition to temporary protection.
One key theme in finding long-term solutions is the successful integration of war refugees into the labor market. Although many people from Ukraine have found employment in host countries, several obstacles hinder their smooth integration into the labor market. The main challenges include language barriers, recognition of qualifications, and adaptation to local labor market conditions. Strengthening labor market integration helps promote not only economic independence but also broader social inclusion, facilitates better adaptation to the host society, and prepares individuals for the possibility of returning to Ukraine in the future. In addition to employment opportunities, access to education and continuous language learning are central from an integration perspective. It is important to ensure that both adults and children can develop their skills and participate fully in society to support self-sufficiency.
The opening session of the conference “From Temporary Protection to Long-Term Solutions” provides a comprehensive overview of the current situation of Ukrainian war refugees, briefly addresses topics related to Ukraine’s reconstruction, presents the EU’s vision for the future of war refugees, and examines the importance of engaging the Ukrainian diaspora in supporting long-term solutions. The first panel of the EMN Estonia conference focuses on long-term plans/strategies related to war refugees upon the expiration of temporary protection or similar statuses. The second part of the conference focuses on the challenges of labor integration and sharing best practices.