OPU has filed a complaint with the European Commission (EC) to initiate infringement proceedings under EU law. The Ministry of the Interior is unlawfully excluding thousands of Ukrainian refugees from the possibility to obtain temporary protection. The complaint could result in the EC bringing an action against the Czech Republic before the Court of Justice of the EU.

OPU lawyers helped to a successful outcome in the international protection case of our client, a politically active refugee from Venezuela. This decision grants her vital protection.

The Supreme Administrative Court has sided with the long-standing opinion of the OPU (Organization for Aid to Refugees), stating that the Ministry of the Interior cannot refuse to accept applications for temporary protection from Ukrainian citizens solely on the grounds that they have already been granted such protection in another member state.

Across Europe, some 4.3 million refugees could soon have the option of returning to a peaceful Ukraine, but many no longer want to. In the Czech Republic, Ukrainian refugees now make up some 3.6 percent of the population — the highest ratio in Europe. A recent survey indicated less than a quarter plan to return to Ukraine once their refugee visas expire.