The European Commission has proposed tightening the European Union's rules for admitting Ukrainian men fleeing Russia's war who have no permit to leave the country.
"Our proposal provides that temporary protection should not be granted to newly arriving persons who are not allowed to leave Ukraine because of their military obligations under Ukrainian law," EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner told journalists on Friday.
"This is what Ukraine has asked us to do," Brunner said, adding that the plans take "into account Ukraine's evolving defence needs."
Ukrainian refugees are covered by the EU's Temporary Protection Directive, which grants them the temporary right to stay in the bloc without requiring individual asylum procedures.
The European Union currently hosts 4.4 million Ukrainians, according to the commission, of which around 26% are adult men.
Friday's proposal follows a discussion among EU interior ministers in early June, during which Germany and other member states spoke in favour of making it harder for men of military age from Ukraine to be admitted to the EU.
According to dpa sources, the idea of excluding men aged between 23 and 60 from the temporary protection directive found broad support.
The new proposal also foresees an extension of the simplified asylum rules for all other Ukrainians by one year until March 2028, as the current rules are set to expire on March 4, 2027.
EU countries still have to adopt the proposal before it can enter into force.
Right to apply for asylum remains unchanged
Those affected by the changes would retain the right to apply for asylum and so-called subsidiary protection in an EU country.
In Germany, subsidiary protection is granted if there is a risk of serious harm in the country of origin, for example due to armed conflict.
However, the mere fact that someone could be conscripted into military service and possibly sent to the front line does not guarantee protection in Germany.
EU plans met with criticism
The plans to restrict temporary protection prompted swift criticism by the Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog.
The Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner, Michael O'Flaherty, expressed "concern about the mounting pressure to prematurely end temporary protection arrangements and restrict access for specific groups, such as men of conscription age."
"This is something the Ukrainians asked us to do, and we shouldn't fall into this Russian propaganda trap," said Brunner, defending the EU proposal.
Ukraine struggles to recruit enough soldiers
Ukraine needs large numbers of soldiers. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the country is mobilizing up to 34,000 men a month.
The Ukrainian army can barely make up for its losses as more than 2 million conscripts are being sought, according to Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
In Ukraine, army recruitment teams are often met with resistance. New videos of clashes are posted on social media every day, with some of those unwilling to be recruited resisting violently and with armed force.
Those forcibly recruited are held in prison-like facilities.
The Ukrainian parliament's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinez, regularly reports on deaths occurring in the context of forced recruitment.
A recent press report revealed cases of beatings, torture and ill-treatment of recruited men in one unit.
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