The European Union has approved a decision to extend temporary protection for refugees from Ukraine until March 4, 2025, the European Commission reported.

“On 27 September 2023, ministers reached a political agreement on the extension of the temporary protection until 4 March 2025. The decision was adopted on 19 October 2023,” the European Commission said on its official website on Thursday.

The European Union activated the temporary protection directive on March 4, 2022. This is an EU mechanism that is deployed in exceptional circumstances of mass influx to provide collective protection for displaced people and reduce pressure on EU countries' national asylum systems.

According to the EC, only 4.1 million refugees from Ukraine are registered for temporary protection or similar schemes in the EU.