The proposal adopted on 1 April complements the humanitarian assistance provided by the EU to those fleeing from Ukraine, particularly as they travel across the Union, and is fully consistent with the EU asylum acquis and with the Union's external action. Since the start of Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, over 3.8 million people fleeing the war against Ukraine have arrived in the EU. The EU and its Member States have made considerable efforts to provide humanitarian assistance and temporary protection for these people, including access to the labour market, housing, medical assistance and education for children. One of the immediate needs of refugees is to convert their hryvnia banknotes into the currency of their host country. This proposal aims to promote a coordinated approach for all Member States to offer those fleeing from Ukraine the same conditions for converting their hryvnia banknotes into local currency independent of the Member State that hosts them. This approach was necessary because the National Bank of Ukraine had to suspend the exchange of hryvnia banknotes into foreign cash to protect Ukraine's limited foreign exchange reserves. As a result, credit institutions in EU Member States have been unwilling to carry out the exchanges due to the limited convertibility of hryvnia banknotes and exposure to exchange rate risk.