EU opens its doors to Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia's invasion
More than half a million people have fled their homes to escape the war in Ukraine as heavy fighting continues across the country and as major cities remain under attack. On Sunday, EU migration commissioner Ylva Johansson said hundreds of thousands of refugees had already entered the EU, and the bloc needed to prepare for millions. In response, the EU has activated Temporary Protection for the first time, allowing Ukrainian refugees to reside in the EU without asylum applications. The EU’s response to Ukrainian refugees has raised concerns of double standards among aid groups. It has also raised the question of whether this new refugee crisis could prove to be a game-changer when it comes to European countries finally adopting an EU-wide refugee and migration policy. John Psaropoulos joins our host Thanos Davelis with the latest analysis from Athens.
John Psaropoulos is an independent journalist based in Athens and Al Jazeera’s southeast Europe correspondent.
Read John Psaropoulos’ latest piece for Al Jazeera here: Series of refugee crises hardens EU policy, then Ukraine happens
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