He doesn’t want to see himself as a deportation officer: Joachim Stamp has been the federal government’s commissioner for migration agreements for a year. He was successful twice. The opposition speaks of “triple steps”.
“I knew that this was a tough job,” says Joachim Stamp, looking back on his first year as federal government representative. The 53-year-old FDP politician is supposed to negotiate agreements with states that create legal immigration opportunities and at the same time ensure that the states take back people who have been deported.
The traffic light has long argued about filling the position in the Ministry of the Interior. Then the choice finally fell on the former integration minister and deputy prime minister of North Rhine-Westphalia.
It is not without pride that he talks about successful conversations. An agreement was signed with Georgia in December last year and a migration partnership was established with Morocco just a few days ago. However, both are countries from which relatively few asylum seekers come to Germany.
Union doubts progress on agreements
This is also where the criticism from the Union, which is fundamentally in favor of migration agreements, comes in. The parliamentary managing director of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei, describes the progress as “triple steps”. He is disillusioned to note that Stamp’s negotiations have progressed in two areas – where it is relatively easy because the countries are already very willing to cooperate, such as EU accession candidate Georgia, or with states that are not very relevant because it is There are not many migrants from these countries.
The opposition politician also doubts that the special representative, who is “making an honest effort,” is equipped with sufficient skills to carry out his tasks. Frei is therefore calling for more political support. The Federal Minister of the Interior is called upon, as is the Federal Foreign Minister and “in many places also the Federal Chancellor.”
On cooperation from countries of origin reliant
In fact, discussions only make sense with countries where there is hope for a successful outcome. Countries such as Syria or Afghanistan, from which a particularly large number of refugees to Germany come, are excluded as negotiating partners because of the political and human rights situation there.
Nevertheless, Special Representative Stamp is trying to spread optimism. He is in “very good discussions” with various governments. Countries with high unemployment in particular showed interest in migration partnerships, while Germany is looking for qualified specialists – for example in logistics or nursing.
However, creating legal immigration opportunities is only one side of the coin. In return, the aim is to ensure that the countries of origin take back people who do not have the right to remain in Germany. Stamp knows only too well: “We also depend on the cooperation of the countries of origin.” But many countries are not willing to do this, also because the foreign currency of their compatriots abroad is an important source of income for them.
No panacea in the refugee policy
The increased number of migrants is becoming a challenge for many municipalities in Germany. Accordingly, Stamp is under pressure to agree further agreements. But he warns against having too high expectations. Such agreements are “of course not the panacea”, but rather as part of an overall concept. There were many other aspects involved, such as the reform of European asylum law.
Negotiating the agreements is complex. The Special Representative explains, almost apologetically, that each country and its interests must be addressed individually. Negotiations must be carried out very carefully, especially against the background of colonial history. In the discussions, Stamp experiences “proud countries” that place great value on discretion in many respects.
Left criticizes discreet negotiations
In fact, the public often knows little about the negotiations. Clara Bünger from the Left party therefore speaks of “secretly negotiated deals”. She criticizes this approach, fears a violation of human rights and calls for transparency. The left-wing politician has the impression that the traffic light coalition is giving in to pressure from the far right with its strategy of negotiating migration agreements.
In fact, the domestic policy spokesman for the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Stephan Brandner, initially comes with words of approval. “Anything that brings movement into this problem area is to be welcomed.” But then Brandner still gives the special representative a bad report: “You can see that he doesn’t solve anything.”
Instead of migration agreements, the AfD politician advocates for better protection of the borders and calls for more “care” of those who do not have the right to reside in Germany. Brandner should also know that many countries of origin refuse to take in compatriots.
Migration researcher: Irregular migration is not decreasing
The traffic light parties agreed on the appointment of a special representative for migration agreements in the coalition agreement. The goal is “new, practical and partnership-based agreements with key countries of origin, taking human rights standards into account.”
Migration researcher Victoria Rietig from the German Council on Foreign Relations is convinced that such bilateral agreements can achieve a lot: “They can improve relations with countries, they can help to attract workers and also promote Germany’s other geopolitical interests in these countries.”
At the same time, the scientist also makes it clear what cannot be expected from the agreements – namely that they will “noticeably reduce” the number of irregular migration.
More Migration agreement in preparation
One year after the Special Representative took office, there could soon be further migration agreements. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser named the countries Moldova, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kenya. “Colombia is now very specific,” says Joachim Stamp.
The number of asylum seekers coming from there has recently increased, but at the same time there is “very low” recognition. Here too, the special representative speaks of creating legal immigration opportunities. He does not see himself as a “deportation officer,” as he is often referred to in the press.