Criticism of German Government’s Asylum Plans from Human Rights Activists and Politicians

Criticism of Ampel Coalition’s Asylum Plans

The German government’s plans for a new EU asylum policy are facing criticism from human rights activists and Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister of Social Affairs, Toure, who argue that they contradict the fundamental principles of German asylum law.

The plans of the German government for a new EU asylum procedure are facing criticism: The German Institute for Human Rights rejected the idea of conducting asylum procedures predominantly at the EU’s external borders. In this case, refugees would not be granted entry but instead, placed in transit centers at the border.

Movement Restrictions

The human rights institute commented that this requirement could only be achieved in practice by implementing closed reception centers or significant restrictions on the freedom of movement in transit zones or small islands. However, many of the current practices related to the treatment of refugees outside the EU are already violating European law.

The institute pointed out that the European Court of Justice declared the placement of refugees in transit zones at the Serbian-Hungarian border as illegal detention in 2020. The human rights institute also recommended that the German government should oppose the establishment of such centers at the EU’s external borders. A system that primarily relies on deterrence and the outsourcing of asylum procedures to external countries outside the EU is incompatible with Germany’s commitments to refugees and human rights.

Yesterday, Federal Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, announced that the Ampel coalition had agreed to advance a common asylum system, including asylum procedures at the EU’s external borders, where migrants would be registered, identified, and processed. During the Berlin report, the SPD politician stated that establishing an asylum system at the EU’s external borders is a part of the plan.

Ampel-Coalition’s Asylum Plans: Incompatible with Human Rights?

Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister of Social Affairs, Aminata Toure, also denounced these proposals by the Ampel coalition in Berlin. “I cannot imagine how this could relieve the Mediterranean countries’ burden while ensuring decent accommodation in already overwhelmed states. In my opinion, this contradicts the fundamental principles of German asylum law,” said the Green politician to Welt.

Meanwhile, the Minister-President of Brandenburg, Dietmar Woidke, has called for an expansion of the list of secure countries of origin. “This should finally be done,” said the SPD politician in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Woidke added that he would suggest this to the coalition partners, CDU and B90/Grüne.

Previously, primarily politicians from the Union had been calling for the recognition of more countries as safe countries of origin, including North African countries such as Maghreb States and Georgia. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to meet with the state premiers for a top-level meeting on refugee policy at the Chancellery on May 10.