RESTART
Labour market experiences of post-temporary protection Ukrainians in the EU

Funded by the European Union - NextGenerationEU
Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca
Italia Domani - Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza
About Objectives Outputs Activities Team Contacts

About

RESTART will explore the labour market experiences of former beneficiaries of temporary protection (TP) in the European Union (EU) with a specific focus on the comparison between Poland and Italy, two major receiving EU Member States (EUMS) of labour migration from Ukraine.

It will concretely assess the impact of the 2022 activation of the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), complemented by Ukraine’s accession perspective, on the lived experiences of former beneficiaries of TP in the EU who transitioned to employment-related legal statuses.

RESTART

It will seek to illustrate the role of direct access to labour markets and the freedom of movement granted under TP, as well as the promise of acquiring EU citizens' rights in (non)mitigating the risks and vulnerabilities related to exploitation in low-paid sectors in the EU often experienced by migrant populations.

The project will address the new, unprecedented situation by uncovering the emerging practices and bringing the latest evidence, which will inform the current policy gaps on the process of transitioning out of the TP, as well as suggest improvements for protection from the exploitative practices of the nationals of EU membership candidate countries.

Objectives

RESTART will tackle the following objectives:

  • to examine existing policies related to access to employment under TP, as well as explore available options beyond its validity related to employment in Poland and Italy; to analyse up-to-date developments with regard to Ukraine’s candidate status and accession perspective;
  • to investigate the role of policy developments on the experiences of former TP holders in the area of employment in (non)mitigating the risks and vulnerabilities related to exploitation in low-paid sectors in the EU; to uncover the experiences of persons displaced from Ukraine;
  • to identify policy gaps in the area of protection from unequal labour practices and exploitation; to formulate and disseminate respective recommendations.

Outputs

file pdf 8/05/2026 - RESTART workshop “Between Temporariness and Durability: The Evolving Legal Landscapes and Everyday Lives of Displaced Ukrainians in Europe”
Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy 		1 MB
  • Vaitovich, V. “The Governance Gap and "Integration by Detours": Vulnerabilities in Post-Temporary Protection Transition in the EU” (working draft)
  • Vaitovich, V. “From "Welcome Guests" to "Lives in Suspension": Disrupted Temporality, Legal Uncertainty, and the Paradox of Belonging for Ukrainian Refugees in Italy” (working draft)
  • Vaitovich, V. (2025). “Temporary protection and solidarity mechanisms: law, policy, and practice”. Seminar delivered at the International Summer Training School 2025 [ITA] “Integration Policies in Europe: Testing Community: Sponsorship and Competing Models”, Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence of the University of Tuscia & PRIN 2022 CoSME Project - Community Sponsorship for Migrants in Europe, Viterbo, Italy (3 July 2025)

Activities

Team

Principal Investigator

Viktoryia Vaitovich

Viktoryia Vaitovich

Advisory Board

Sabrina Marchetti

Sabrina Marchetti

Marta Kindler

Marta Kindler

Meltem İneli Ciğer [TUR]

Meltem İneli Ciğer [TUR]

Jean-Pierre Cassarino

Jean-Pierre Cassarino

Catherine Woollard

Catherine Woollard