Migration: Scholz defends planned asylum reform

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has defended the planned reform of European asylum rules against criticism. Countries must stop pointing fingers at others and not feeling responsible. “That’s why the agreement is that we establish a solidarity mechanism,” said Scholz at the Evangelical Church Congress in Nuremberg.

“Finally, finally” a solidary system for the distribution of refugees in Europe must be established. Scholz promised faster asylum procedures and more digitization of the processes. You have to “manage” to send someone back who cannot stay in Europe.

The EU interior ministers voted in Luxembourg on Thursday with a sufficiently large majority for a comprehensive reform. In particular, a much tougher treatment of migrants with no prospects of staying is planned.

In the future, people arriving from countries that are considered safe should come to strictly controlled reception facilities under conditions similar to detention after crossing the border. There, it would normally be checked within twelve weeks whether the applicant has a chance of asylum. If not, it should be sent back immediately.

Changes by the EU Parliament possible

In the negotiations, the federal government had advocated that families with children be exempted from the so-called border procedures. In order to make the breakthrough possible, she ultimately had to accept that this could be possible. However, it is conceivable that the EU Parliament will still push through changes. It has a say in the reform and will negotiate the project with representatives of the EU states in the coming months.

Green members in particular are outraged that the red-green-yellow federal government approved the reform plans. Green leader Omid Nouripour defended the approval – but he also relies on improvements. He said on Friday evening in the ZDF “heute journal”: “What has been agreed is first of all a political agreement. It is not applicable law.” The European Parliament will play an important role in the implementation of law and order. The Greens are not alone in wanting to make some improvements.

The Green MEP Erik Marquardt doubted in the ARD “Tagesthemen” that the planned reform would curb irregular migration. If there are large camps at the external borders, the conditions for migrants there would be even worse. “These poor conditions then mean that there is even more imbalance in Europe, that people have incentives not to register or report to the external border states there at all, but they will then take smugglers who might go directly to come to Germany.” The deputy criticized that it was not clear what would improve the planned reform.

Union calls for quick action

Union politicians, on the other hand, are not moving fast enough when it comes to measures against illegal migration. The parliamentary director of the Union faction, Thorsten Frei (CDU), told the “Augsburger Allgemeine”: “We also need national measures to combat illegal migration and we need them immediately.” A reform of the EU asylum policy will show its effects at best in two or three years. Many municipalities have reached or exceeded the limit when it comes to accepting migrants.

CDU General Secretary Mario Czaja told the newspapers of the Bayern media group: “It is now the responsibility of the federal government to implement further steps to limit illegal migration. For example, when expanding safe countries of origin.” So-called safe countries of origin are countries where it is generally assumed that there is neither political persecution nor inhumane punishment or treatment. This should enable faster asylum decisions and deportations.