16 March 2022
In the latest Lunch & Learn session, Daniel Zinner once again brought together Global Mobility Experts and Lawyers to understand the current happenings in Ukraine and what it means for companies and HR teams from a legal and tech perspective.
Participants:
- Daniel Zinner, Co-founder People Mobility Alliance
- Katrin Ruland, CEO & founder Noah Mobility
- Tom Siebert, lawyer DWF
#Ukraine
The war in Ukraine has led millions of Ukrainians to flee their country, many of whom are arriving in Germany.
In the latest Lunch & Learn session, Daniel Zinner once again brought together Global Mobility Experts and Lawyers to understand the current happenings in Ukraine and what it means for companies and HR teams from a legal and tech perspective.
Tom Stieber, Lawyer with International Law Firm DWF and Katrin Ruland, founder of the international relocation tech company, Noah Mobility, joined Daniel to discuss the following:
Main Points
- There is a massive influx of Ukrainian refugees into the EU and companies need to understand the legal frameworks around employment and integration./li>
- Due to the Temporary Protection Directive, there is the question of whether German law applies.
- There are many bureaucratic obstacles where support is needed, namely registration, taxes and work permits.
- From a relocation perspective, most requests have come from teams wanting to resettle themselves, both from Ukraine and Russia.
- Hand in hand cooperation between legal and tech is indispensable during this time.
EU Temporary Protection Directive
The EU Temporary Protection Directive, first drafted in 2001, is an exceptional measure providing immediate and temporary protection to people from non-EU countries who flee their country of origin.
The Directive was triggered for the first time in 2022 as a result of those fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Despite the triggering of the Temporary Protection Directive, there is still some confusion from both companies and individuals about what the conditions are. These confusions were discussed:
Legal Focus
There are many bureaucratic challenges companies and HR teams will face during the influx of Ukrainian migrants into the EU. Some to be aware of are the registration procedure, the procedure for obtaining a work permit, and the tax and social security law.
As the Temporary Protection Directive gives its beneficiaries the right to access employment, companies should pay particular attention to whether the German law applies in this situation.
Further legal considerations for companies are employment contracts. It needs to be understood if “standard” contracts can apply here under the ongoing proceedings or if there should be special features added.
Tech Focus
Relocation tech services are of great importance during such a mass influx of migrants into the EU and relocation companies are often asked how they can help.
Local registration and the provision of accommodation are already successful and available from official, corporate and private sources.
Relocation tech companies can help by using their existing technology solutions. Noah Mobility, for example, already has an eBIS interface in Berlin with the Federal Foreign Office. They are also able to provide an onboarding process tool.
It is expected that once arrival and initial administration have taken place, there will be a massive increase in cases. Companies should ensure they are making use of relocation tech services and legal services to ensure the successful recruitment of new employees from Ukraine. It is vital that legal services and tech services cooperate well together during this period of time, to ensure smooth transitions for companies and employees alike.
Event Sponsors:
- People Mobility Alliance
- Clevis Consult
- Noah Mobility
- DWF
