How does the application of the EU Temporary Protection Status to displaced Ukrainians affect their adaptation strategies? A longitudinal comparison of displaced Ukrainians in Berlin, Budapest and Warsaw

Author – Céline Teney.

Abstract :

The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24^th, 2022, has led to an unprecedented flow of displaced migrants entering the EU. As a result, the European Union activated the EU Temporary Protection Directive providing displaced Ukrainians entering the EU with a unique freedom of movement and with several rights of access to welfare assistance, to work and education that were not allocated to other traditional asylum seekers for a period of two years (with a possible extension). The uncertainty surrounding the duration of the temporary protection status together with the uncertainty surrounding the war duration and outcome is likely to affect both perception and strategies of displaced Ukrainians in the destination country.

In this presentation, I will analyse displaced Ukrainians narratives on their adaptation strategies and their perception of their status in the destination country. For this purpose, I will draw on a unique dataset of repeated semi-structured interviews conducted among ca. 170 Ukrainians who fled their country to come to Berlin, Budapest or Warsaw after the Russian invasion of February 24^th 2022. The first interview round took place between April and June 2022, while the second interview round was organised between January and April 2023. The semi-structured interviews cover open-end questions among other on adaptation strategies and experiences in the destination country (on labour market, in education, with administration, with volunteering associations) and further migration plans (intention to return, stay or move further).

The repeated interviews in three destination countries will enable me to consider the evolution of perception and strategies over time, by comparing displaced Ukrainians´ perceptions of their status and their understanding of adaptation strategies in the first weeks after their arrival in Berlin, Budapest and Warsaw and one year later.