Around 100,000 people in Germany have applied for asylum since the beginning of the year. This is significantly more than in the same period last year. Since there are currently no indications that this trend will be reversed in the coming months – and because the municipalities also have to provide housing, school and daycare places for more than a million war refugees from Ukraine – representatives from the federal and state governments talk about refugee policy and finances again this Wednesday. The most important questions and answers:
What common goals are the federal and state governments pursuing?
Everyone agrees that asylum seekers who need protection should be well accommodated and cared for in Germany. In principle, everyone also shares the goal of reducing the number of unauthorized entries. But that’s where the unity ends.
What do the states and municipalities want to achieve?
The states and municipalities want the federal government to ensure that fewer people who have already been registered in other EU states or even recognized as refugees come to Germany. They are also asking for more financial support. However, the representatives of the municipalities will not be at the table during the consultations on Wednesday. That is why there is a preliminary meeting between the federal states and the municipal umbrella organizations on Monday.
In March, the prime ministers spoke out in favor of a return to the so-called four-pillar model. That was until the end of 2021. It stipulated that the federal government would pay 670 euros for each refugee and a flat rate for refugee-related purposes. He also covered the costs for the unaccompanied minor foreigners. There are special requirements for them in terms of accommodation and care. At that time, the federal government also bore the costs for accommodation after initial reception.
What does the federal government say about the financial demands?
She doesn’t want to go back to the per capita flat rate. She also emphasizes that there is no scope for further aid in the federal budget. Her main argument: the states and municipalities are doing better overall financially than the federal government. For 2023, the federal government had pledged 1.5 billion euros for refugees from Ukraine last year, as well as a general refugee-related lump sum of 1.25 billion euros. In addition, the federal government pays social benefits for Ukrainian war refugees and for recognized refugees from other countries who do not earn their own living. It also finances language and integration courses and has given the federal states real estate with around 70,000 beds to accommodate those seeking protection.
Are there any other ideas from the federal government?
But. However, some of these would have to be implemented by the federal states. This applies, for example, to digitization in the immigration authorities and faster processing of asylum claims.
How is the government reacting to the increasing number of asylum seekers?
After consultation with the coalition partners, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) wants to ensure that asylum seekers at the EU’s external borders are registered and identified more reliably than before during the ongoing consultations on the reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). One of the proposals discussed in Brussels is that those who have no prospect of protection should leave the EU immediately after a quick check. Countries with external borders such as Italy or Greece will probably only agree to a procedure in which asylum seekers are detained near the border for weeks if the member states agree on a distribution mechanism for everyone who is allowed to stay. It is uncertain whether this will succeed before the 2024 European elections.
Despite the criticism from the ranks of the Greens, Faeser, who is the SPD’s top candidate for the Hessian state elections, has extended the stationary controls at the land border between Germany and Austria. With the support of the special representative Joachim Stamp (FDP), the federal government also wants to conclude so-called migration agreements with countries of origin. These states should cooperate better in the deportation of their citizens who are obliged to leave the country but who still do not leave Germany. In return, there should be simplifications for them, for example with visas for workers or students. It is also being considered to add Georgia and the Republic of Moldova to the list of so-called safe countries of origin. These are countries where it is generally assumed that there is no political persecution or inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment. This should enable faster asylum decisions and deportations.
Who is currently seeking protection in Germany?
The refugees from the Ukraine are taken in according to an EU directive that was created for sudden large movements of refugees. So you don’t have to apply for asylum and you get a work permit straight away. Although people from the Ukraine are still coming to Germany, some are returning or moving on to other countries. The number of slightly more than one million Ukrainians who are stored in the Central Register of Foreigners has therefore been relatively stable for months.
In the first four months of this year, 101,981 initial asylum applications were received by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf). This is an increase in the number of applications by around 78 percent compared to the previous year. 7.5 percent of the applications concerned children born in Germany under the age of one year.
Since the beginning of the year, the main countries of origin have been Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey. The so-called overall protection rate was around 52 percent during this period. This means that slightly more than half of all applicants have either received protection status – for example as a refugee under the Geneva Convention – or do not have to leave the country because of a ban on deportation. This rate was 84 percent for people from Syria and 16 percent for Turkish citizens. Although no one is deported to Syria from Germany, it does happen that a Syrian is sent to another EU country that is responsible for him under the so-called Dublin rules.
What happens to those who are obliged to leave the country?
If they do not leave the country voluntarily, they will be deported, provided that this is practically possible and there are no reasons not to do so, such as health problems. In 2022, 12,945 people were deported from Germany. Among them were 4158 foreigners who were brought to another EU country due to the Dublin rules. According to the Central Register of Foreigners, there were 304,308 people in Germany who were legally obliged to leave the country as of December 31, 2022. Iraqis made up the largest group among them last year, followed by people from Afghanistan, Nigeria and the Russian Federation.
