Op-Ed: “The War in Ukraine and the Temporary Protection Directive: tackling a short-lived conflict or a protracted humanitarian disaster?” by Francesca Romana Partipilo

On 4 March 2022, given the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine, the Council of the European Union unanimously adopted the decision to implement the Temporary Protection Directive (hereinafter: TPD) to quickly provide rights and assistance to people fleeing the conflict. This Op-Ed examines some crucial features of the directive, its relationship with the status of refugee, and the adequacy of this legal tool to deal with the humanitarian crisis unfolding at European eastern borders.

Between the 90s and the early 2000s, the EU faced the arrival of substantial numbers of refugees fleeing the war in former Yugoslavia and Kosovo. As a result, Council Directive 2001/55/EC on Minimum Standards for Giving Temporary Pr