Agree to EU reform?
Greens face a serious asylum dilemma
06/08/2023 07:16
Agree for the sake of coalition peace and EU partners? Or would you rather veto it? In the negotiations on a far-reaching reform of the EU asylum system, the leadership of the German Greens could face one of their most difficult political decisions in recent years this Thursday.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser will have to say at an EU meeting this morning whether the federal government supports the planned tightening of asylum rules, and will probably only be able to do so if the Greens, as coalition partners, agree. If Faeser cannot position himself, the required majority for the planned rule changes is unlikely to be achieved in a possible vote. Will there be a momentous scandal? Questions and answers at a glance.
What is planned?
The core of the current reform proposals are measures that are intended to lead to a significant reduction in the number of people without a right to protection. Anyone arriving from a country that is considered relatively safe could in future come to a strictly controlled reception facility after crossing the border. Ideally, it would then be checked within just twelve weeks whether the applicant had a chance of asylum – if not, he would be sent back immediately. In addition, the monitoring and deportation of rejected asylum seekers should be made easier – for example, by collecting more data about them and storing them centrally.
What do the Greens see critically?
The party is particularly upset that families with children should not be exempted from the so-called border procedures. She therefore sees the risk that minors may also have to live under prison-like conditions for several months. In the preliminary negotiations for the meeting this Thursday, the federal government tried to prevent border procedures for families with children. However, it failed because a majority of EU states feared that exceptions would limit the deterrent nature of the regulation.
Could the Greens in the federal government still agree?
That is conceivable, but they would then have to prepare for larger internal party debates. The group of German Greens in the European Parliament warned against a compromise “at any price”. The plans for so-called border procedures would be at the expense of human rights and would be ineffective, spokesman Rasmus Andresen told the newspapers of the Funke media group. Children in particular should not be kept in mass camps for months. Hundreds of Greens members had previously written a letter to their own top staff, in which they sharply criticized the reform plans and warned against approval.
How do the other governing parties feel about the reform?
Politicians from the SPD and FDP supported the Greens’ demands for an exception for families with children, but do not want to let the asylum reform fail because of this. Federal Interior Minister Faeser warned shortly before the EU meeting that the negotiations would fail. “It is important that we get results now. Otherwise, more national isolation can be expected,” the SPD politician told the editorial network Germany before the meeting in Luxembourg.
The FDP recently appealed directly to the Greens not to block a possible agreement. The opportunity for a reform this week must be used, said the domestic spokesman for the parliamentary group, Konstantin Kuhle, the media group Bavaria. “The failure of the asylum reform would be a heavy burden for Germany and the entire European Union.”
Is the federal government the only element of uncertainty at the ministerial meeting?
No. It is also unclear whether Italy’s planned regulations for more solidarity go far enough. Getting the asylum reform going without the support of the government in Rome is considered to make little sense, since most migrants are currently arriving in the country and the EU is dependent on Italy then adhering to the new rules. According to the UN refugee agency, more than 50,000 migrants who crossed the Mediterranean have been registered in Italy this year. Most of them came from Tunisia, Egypt and Bangladesh and therefore had almost no prospects of being able to stay legally.
What are the solidarity rules?
When countries are confronted with a very large influx of people, they should be able to apply for support from other member states. A certain number of people seeking protection would then come to other countries via a distribution key. States that do not want to participate would have to make a compensation payment for each person not admitted. Sums of around 20,000 euros per person were recently discussed.
What’s at stake?
At least since the so-called refugee crisis of 2015/2016, it has been clear that the applicable EU asylum rules need to be revised. At that time, countries like Greece were overwhelmed with a mass influx of people from countries like Syria and hundreds of thousands were able to move on to other EU countries without being registered. This actually shouldn’t have happened, because according to the so-called Dublin Regulation, asylum seekers should be registered where they first entered the European Union. This country is usually also responsible for the asylum application.
Would fewer asylum seekers come to Germany as a result of the reform?
It’s still difficult to say. Germany would probably have to take in people from the external border states via the solidarity mechanism. At the same time, far fewer people could come illegally.
What happens if no decision is possible today?
It is conceivable that another special meeting of interior ministers will be organized in a few weeks. A prerequisite for a decision on the plans is that 15 out of 27 member states vote in favor, whereby these must together make up at least 65 percent of the total population of the EU. If the EU Council of Ministers does not take a decision by the summer break, there is little chance of getting the reform project across the finish line in the foreseeable future. The reason is that there must also be negotiations with the European Parliament about it. These could take months – then there may not be enough time to complete the project before the European elections in June 2024. EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola told the “world” before the meeting: “We cannot afford to lose time, possibly even years.” All EU countries now need a constructive approach and a decision as quickly as possible.