Symposium: Seeking Refuge, Finding Solidarity? Challenges and Chances for Ukranian Protection-Seekers in Europe.
In the three months since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, over six
million Ukrainians have sought protection in neighbouring countries, but many
more have been forced from their homes and displaced within their own country
At the EU level, the Council of the EU invoked the Temporary Protection Directive
which grants Ukrainians the right to stay, work, and study in any EU member
state for an initial period of one year. However, as in the application of every
other EU directive, EU member states have national laws and regulations that
envisage the application of the temporary protection regime within their home
countries. Turkey -whilst not being an EU member state- has their own national
rules and regulations on temporary protection as well which parallels the
obligations envisaged under the EU Directive. While the national responses and
established legal systems of protection may vary, they have shown that there is
a favorable attitude towards Ukrainian refugees. This is especially visible when
compared with the policies, border treatment, and media images of other
refugee groups. There is a clearly demonstrated difference in the willingness of
many States to admit Ukrainian refugees on the one hand and other refugees
on the other.
European higher education and research community has expressed its undivided
support to Ukrainian universities, students and staff. We, as members of the
UNIC Alliance of Universities stand in solidarity with those who have to flee from
Ukraine for their safety, with those who are in Ukraine and find themselves
unable to continue living their lives, and with those who for other reasons are
at risk due to the invasion, including Russian students and scholars at risk due
to speaking out against the invasion.
The symposium will focus on three topics:
- National Regimes for Ukranian protection-seekers in Europe.
- The role of Law faculties and Universities in providing support to Ukranian students and scholars.
- The right to leave and discriminatory admissions of protection-seekers.