migration
Scholz on asylum policy: EU reform package should come
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is pushing for an agreement on the planned reform of the EU asylum system. photo
© Barbara Gindl/APA/dpa
In view of the increasing number of refugees, there is pressure in the municipalities. The Chancellor’s request to his ministerial group must also be seen against this background.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is urging the traffic light coalition to reach an agreement on the planned EU asylum reform does not stand in the way. According to information from government circles, in this context at today’s cabinet meeting he also specifically addressed the so-called crisis ordinance, which the federal government has not yet approved due to criticism from the Greens.
The “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” and “Bild” initially reported on it. This Thursday, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) will take part in a meeting of her EU counterparts in Brussels, which will also discuss the topic.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and other Green Party politicians had recently raised concerns about the regulation. They expressed fears that the progress expected from the planned reform could be undermined by states making premature use of the instruments contained in the draft regulation.
There is still a need for discussion
The crisis regulation is part of the planned asylum reform, which is intended, among other things, to limit irregular migration. The regulation is intended to make it possible to extend the period during which people can be held in prison-like conditions if there is a particularly strong increase in migration.
After a meeting of the Interior Committee in Berlin, Faeser responded to the question of whether the federal government’s attitude towards the regulation had changed: “So far there has been no agreement between the European states, that is not just due to Germany, the Czech Republic has also raised problems and the Netherlands. Poland and Hungary have said goodbye to it completely, unfortunately.”
There is therefore still a need for discussion, including the question of what the characteristics of such a crisis should be. The minister nevertheless emphasized: But I am confident that we as the federal government will find a good solution there and that we will reach a conclusion at European level in a timely manner.”
Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) said during a government questioning in the Bundestag: “I am now confident that the federal government will agree to the asylum package at the European level.”
Call from the President of the EU Commission
The Federal Foreign Office only said: “Now negotiations are finally taking place properly in Brussels.” Criticism came from the refugee rights organization Pro Asyl, which is against the planned crisis regulation. A statement said: “The fact that the Chancellor is now forcing approval shows that human rights considerations no longer count for anything in the federal government.”
Hamburg’s Interior Senator Andy Grote (SPD), representing some of the federal states, said: “Any delay, disruption or blockage of the Common European Asylum System or individual components of it harms German interests and damages Europe’s ability to act.”
He was therefore relieved by Scholz’s clarification that Germany would continue to clearly support the crisis regulation and thus also the asylum reform. Because of the high number of refugees, states and municipalities are “in an acute emergency and urgently need a substantial reduction in the number of accesses”.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had previously called for a quick resolution of the dispute over the planned reform. The continued instrumentalization of migrants by countries like Belarus also shows that a quick political agreement is needed, she said on the sidelines of a meeting with the new Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina. It is important to have common rules.
European elections next year
As soon as the dispute over the crisis regulation has been resolved, negotiations with Parliament that are important for the reform can probably continue. The European Parliament recently announced that it would block parts of the talks until the EU states have positioned themselves on the issue of crisis regulations.
The planned reform of the asylum system is also likely to play a role in upcoming elections in the member states and in the European elections next year. Right-wing parties in particular, such as the AfD, have long accused the EU of failing in the fight against illegal migration.