More than 300,000 refugees a year are too many, says CDU leader Merz. Germany could integrate a maximum of 100,000, he said in an interview. He called the British asylum deal with Rwanda “a good idea in principle.”
From the perspective of CDU leader Friedrich Merz, Germany should not accept more than 100,000 refugees per year. “Over 300,000 a year, like in 2023, is definitely too much,” said Merz in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.
Merz is referring to a statement by Saxony’s CDU Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer. He had spoken out in favor of accepting a refugee contingent of a maximum of 60,000 to 100,000 people annually. That roughly describes “what we can still achieve today with our integrative power,” said Merz.
Open to asylum procedures in third countries
The opposition leader was also open to so-called third-country solutions. Asylum procedures are outsourced to other non-EU countries that have been declared safe countries of origin.
If he becomes Chancellor, he would like to travel the world and look for a suitable country that can handle the asylum procedures. “Such a trip by the Chancellor would be long overdue.”
Praise for British plan for Rwanda
Outsourcing asylum procedures to Rwanda, as Great Britain is planning, is “in principle a good idea,” said the CDU leader. However, it must be clarified how the procedures in Rwanda will be “designed in accordance with our human rights obligations.” could.
The conservative British government wants to deter migrants with strict laws and deport those who have entered the country illegally to Rwanda without taking personal circumstances into account.
“It is crucial that humanitarian protection is actually guaranteed in the receiving country after a successful asylum application,” said Merz.
In 2023 there will be around 50 percent more initial applications for asylum
According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), 329,120 people applied for asylum for the first time in Germany in 2023 – most of them came from Syria, Turkey and Afghanistan. That was around 50 percent more initial applications than in 2022.
As a result of the Russian war of aggression that began two years ago, there are currently around 1.14 million refugees from Ukraine living in this country who do not have to apply for asylum.