From the perspective of Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann, migration is the most important security policy issue in 2024. “We must limit illegal migration immediately and effectively,” said the CSU politician on Thursday in Nuremberg. Bavaria will also face major domestic and security policy challenges in 2024.
According to Herrmann, the number of asylum applications in Germany has increased by 60 percent compared to the previous year – from January to November 2023 inclusive, to around 305,000. The number of arrivals has recently decreased, but that is no reason to give the all-clear, said Herrmann. At the same time, he announced that he would continue controls in the border area and renewed his appeal to the federal government to extend stationary border controls until effective controls are ensured at the EU’s external borders.
With a view to the recently concluded EU asylum compromise, the Interior Minister called for further measures: “It is now necessary to equalize the benefits for asylum seekers across Europe, taking into account the respective cost of living.” There should also be more migration agreements with important countries of origin and transit.
As a further aspect of the Free State’s security policy in 2024, Herrmann announced an expansion of civil defense and disaster protection. At the beginning of 2024, the Council of Ministers will deal with the issue of civil protection as an overall task across levels and departments, said Herrmann. This should also include preventive measures for flood protection.
The minister called on the federal government to increase spending on civil defense and disaster protection. In the draft federal budget for 2024, the funds for this would not be increased, but reduced. Herrmann found this to be out of the question and evidence of completely incorrect prioritization. The federal government must present a program with at least ten billion euros for the next ten years.
With a view to New Year’s Eve in Bavaria, Herrmann spoke of intensive preparations by the police. With a high level of presence and consistent intervention, conditions like those on New Year’s Eve in Cologne in 2015 or at the turn of the year in Berlin in 2022/2023 will be prevented.