The ongoing war in Ukraine has resulted in rapid, large-scale displacement, both inside Ukraine and to the European Union (EU). In response, the European Commission (EC) and European Council (CE) activated the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) to grant those fleeing to the EU from Ukraine access to residence permits, the labour market, accommodation, medical care, child education, and social and welfare assistance.

This study analyses how those displaced from Ukraine have been received in the EU at three territorial-administrative levels: supranational (EC and CE), national (Estonian), and sub-national (local Estonian). The study comprises discourse analysis and data from a survey of 500 people from Ukraine who have been granted temporary protection in Estonia.

Key observations made by the study:

• There is a partial rupture in general discourses on migration at the EU and the Estonian national levels, at least temporarily. While until 2022 the attitude towards immigration and asylum seekers was rather reserved in Estonia, a contentious history with Russia and its predecessor the Soviet Union increased the hospitality displayed towards those fleeing the war in Ukraine. In the EU as a whole, due to the link between European security and large-scale migration, those from Ukraine have been perceived positively. This expression of solidarity also contains discursive remarks on ‘good’ and ‘not-so-good’ migrants.

• There is a policy mismatch when it comes to integration and hosting. Within a few months after their arrival, many Ukrainians were immersed in the Estonian labour market and education system and in language learning. This suggests an aim to fully integrate those from Ukraine into the country, and a growing number may as a result remain in Estonia when the war ends. The TPD itself is focused on more temporary protection and hosting of Ukrainians in EU member states. 

• Instead of a participatory multilevel governance approach, in which vertical and horizontal networks of public and private actors are working at all levels, the TPD process involved hierarchic, 'top-down' governance from the highest levels of the EC to the highest levels of the member states and then finally to the local levels. Implementation of the TPD across the EU saw limited involvement of people from Ukraine in its planning and design, which may create challenges in the medium- and long-term success of the TPD.