On March 6th, Chancellor Scholz and the heads of government of the federal states will meet to discuss asylum policy. In advance there was a hail of criticism from the Union. Interior Minister Faeser counters.
Before the conversation on asylum policy between Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the Prime Minister planned for Wednesday, the federal and state governments are shifting responsibility for the lack of progress. The implementation of important decisions that were agreed upon at the previous meeting in November failed due to the “inaction of this federal government,” said North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister, Hendrik Wüst (CDU), to the editorial network Germany.
The acceleration of asylum procedures for people from countries with low recognition rates, the further strengthening of the European border agency Frontex, the renewal of the EU-Turkey agreement, the examination of whether asylum procedures outside Europe would be possible, as well as migration agreements with important ones were not implemented or were only partially implemented Countries of origin of asylum seekers. Cities and communities suffered as a result, as did refugees who needed help.
Faeser: Longer detention and further regulations
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), on the other hand, referred to the legislative package passed with “restrictive regulations for more and faster returns”. The reform provides the authorities with more options for finding people who have to leave the country and preventing them from going into hiding. For example, the maximum duration of immigration detention will be extended from 10 days to 28 days. In addition, officials in shared accommodation should also be allowed to enter rooms other than the room of the person being deported. “The countries responsible for returns can now use these regulations. They will receive all support from the Federal Police,” she told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.
Around 329,000 people made an initial application for asylum in Germany last year – around 50 percent more than in the previous year. The more than one million refugees from Ukraine who have come to Germany since the war began at the end of February 2022 are not included in the current statistics because they do not have to apply for asylum. Faeser recently announced an increase in staff. She told the newspaper: “With 1,160 additional staff at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees and an additional 300 million euros for the digitalization and acceleration of asylum procedures, we are showing that we are picking up the pace.” This must happen at all levels, including in the immigration authorities.
At the weekend, Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) and the Hessian Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) had already called on the federal government to change course in asylum policy.
Source: Stern
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