A number of younger delegates expressed massive criticism of the traffic light coalition’s asylum policy at the Green Party’s federal party conference. In the end, however, the party leadership prevailed on Sunday night – after active support from Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck.
“It is dishonest to talk about limitations when the world is on fire,” criticized Vasili Franco, a member of the Berlin House of Representatives, in Karlsruhe that evening. And the leader of the Green Youth, Katharina Stolla, warned: “Anyone who follows the right will stumble.” The co-chair of the youth organization added: “There is no reason for further tightening of asylum laws.” Critics of government policy were loudly applauded.
“Vote of no confidence in disguise”
Habeck resisted. Action should not be guided by the desire to “be on the right side” on this issue. He warned: “A government party conference is not a game.” The Green Youth’s proposals are actually “a vote of no confidence in disguise” and an indirect call to leave the traffic light government made up of the SPD, Greens and FDP.
Habeck warned that the Greens were tying themselves up here. The Green Youth’s application stated that neither ministers nor the parliamentary groups in the federal or state governments would be allowed to agree to further tightening of asylum law – specifically, for example, “more restrictive regulations for returns, the reduction of social benefits for refugees, the lowering of protection standards, an expansion of safe countries of origin, Fast-track procedures at external borders as well as the accommodation of refugees in external border camps and the rejection of refugees to supposedly safe third countries.
“I can’t comply with that,” said Baerbock about the requirements in the Green Youth’s application. She asked: “Is that really supposed to be the order of this party conference?” At the end of the debate, the youth organization’s motion did not find a majority in the room.
Discussion on the draft law next Thursday
In order to prevent a scandal, the party executive committee agreed to make some changes to its text of the resolution. It was entitled “Humanity and order: for a proactive, pragmatic and human rights-based asylum and migration policy”. For example, the sentence was deleted: “In addition, where capacities are exhausted, the numbers must also decrease through constitutional and humane measures.”
Three and a half weeks ago, the Green Party politicians Ricarda Lang and Winfried Kretschmann wrote in a joint guest article for the “Tagesspiegel” on the subject of migration to Germany: “When capacities reach their limits – as they are now – the numbers must also fall.” The party leader and the Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg emphasized that, with all due humanity, “control and repatriation are part of the reality of an immigration country like Germany.” The Bundestag is scheduled to hold its first reading next Thursday on a federal government bill that aims to “adapt legal regulations that prevent or at least make deportation measures more difficult.”
“Let’s not adopt a compromise with conservative forces here at the party conference,” demanded Sophia Pott from Lübeck. Co-party leader Omid Nouripour had previously pointed out to delegates that the Greens, as a governing party, would be judged by whether they delivered solutions or not.
