“Open debate” demanded
FDP questions subsidiary protection of refugees
12.06.2024, 08:44
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If refugees are not politically persecuted in their country, they are usually not granted asylum. However, if their life and health are at risk upon returning, they are granted subsidiary protection. CSU leader Söder wants to abolish this for civil war refugees. The FDP is also calling for a change.
FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr questions the protection of refugees who are considered threatened in their country of origin but have no right to asylum, for example. “After the European elections, we also need an open debate about whether the subsidiary protection that many refugees use to come to us is still appropriate in this form,” Dürr told the newspapers of the Funke media group. “Brussels can change that in concrete terms. People rightly expect us to deal with these issues.”
In the European elections on Sunday, all traffic light parties recorded losses: The Greens suffered the biggest losses compared to the previous election in 2019. The SPD recorded its worst election result ever in a European election. And the FDP also remained far below the approval ratings it had in the 2021 federal election.
After the parties’ poor performance, Dürr demanded that the government concentrate on issues that are important to people. One key issue is “that we need to bring more order to migration policy,” said Dürr. This also includes “a consistent approach to dealing with Islamist criminals and organizations.”
Söder wants to abolish subsidiary protection
Those who are granted neither asylum nor refugee protection but who could be at risk of harm in their home country are entitled to subsidiary protection. Often, people are fleeing civil wars; other reasons include the death penalty in their home country or torture. In Germany, many Syrians have this protection status.
CSU leader Markus Söder recently called for the abolition of subsidiary protection for refugees from Afghanistan and Syria. The German rules are based on EU law. The EU Commission could theoretically propose changing the relevant EU laws, but it cannot decide this itself. The governments of the EU states and the European Parliament would have to negotiate the authority’s proposal.