Bundestag adopts bill
Moldova and Georgia are now safe countries of origin
November 16, 2023, 5:53 p.m
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It’s just a small piece of the puzzle, but from the perspective of the traffic light coalition it’s a success: The Bundestag passes a law with a large majority that declares Moldova and Georgia to be safe countries of origin. This makes deportations there easier. But there are some people you don’t want to do without.
The Bundestag has classified Georgia and Moldova as safe countries of origin. If the Federal Council follows the parliamentary decision, asylum seekers from the two Eastern European countries will be able to be turned away more easily in the future. In the final plenary debate, SPD MP Helge Lindh spoke of an effective and legitimate means of reducing irregular migration.
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) assumes that returnees in Georgia and Moldova are generally not threatened with persecution or inhumane treatment. The recognition rate for asylum seekers from the two former Soviet republics was less than 0.1 percent in the first half of the year. In the future, their asylum applications should therefore be processed in an accelerated procedure and those affected should be deported quickly if they are rejected.
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser said of the adoption: “I am pleased that the German Bundestag today passed our draft law, which designates Georgia and Moldova as safe countries of origin. This is another important step towards limiting irregular migration. More than one in ten asylum applications are rejected comes from Georgia and Moldova, the recognition rate is less than 0.3 percent.”
Skilled workers still desired
The statement continues: “We also want to conclude migration agreements with Georgia and Moldova now to enable qualified immigration of workers and thus create incentives to ensure that Georgian and Moldovan citizens do not submit hopeless asylum applications in Germany in the future.”
The law was passed with a large majority in the Bundestag. Only the left voted against the plan. The Left Party’s refugee policy spokeswoman, Clara Bünger, described the classification as irresponsible because the safety of certain minorities in the two states is not guaranteed.
Filiz Polat from the Greens admitted that her group also had doubts about the safety of Roma in Moldova and queer people in Georgia. However, because of the visa exemption, those in need of protection could still enter Germany. In addition, both countries are in the EU accession process and have to meet high constitutional standards to achieve this.