Migration – Unions call for stricter requirements for those who have to leave the country – Politics

Posted On: October 2, 2023

Berlin (dpa) – In the migration debate, the European Union is trying to pressure Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to cooperate with it and tighten conditions, especially for rejected asylum seekers. CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann accused Scholz of not taking Germany’s joint pact offer seriously. “Until today we are waiting for the invitation, everything is hot,” he said in ARD’s “Report from Berlin”.

The SPD has maintained its offer of talks since early September, but does not want to get carried away, as its parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich explained in “Augsburger Allgemeine”. Scholz’s offer also refers to the country’s general modernization, but the EU calls for a concentration on migration policy.

We must come to the conclusion that this is a PR stunt carried out by the Chancellor for the state elections on Sunday in Hesse and Bavaria, said Linnemann and assured: “We are ready for a big consensus.” Or in the words of the chairman of the CSU Bundestag, Alexander Dobrindt, in the “Augsburger Allgemeine”: “We expect the Chancellor to keep his word and try to reach a German agreement with the CDU and CSU to stop irregular migration to agree to it.”

Union parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) also called for finding a joint solution early at the weekend and named October 9 as the final date, a day after state elections in Bavaria and Hesse.

What the SPD says

SPD parliamentary group leader Mützenich said: “On the one hand, the Chancellor will continue to talk to states, including the CDU and CSU prime ministers, and of course he will also talk to the heads of the largest opposition factions.” However, this does not only concern the issue of migration, but most importantly the core elements mentioned by Scholz: the modernization of infrastructure, accelerated planning and better cooperation between cities, states and the federal government.

Similar to Scholz, Mützenich explains: “There is no one tool that can solve all problems against illegal immigration.” He added: “And certainly not a fictitious threshold figure, like the one (CSU boss) Markus Söder threw into the room without knowing how to make it happen.” Migration is “the task of the century.”

What the Union wants

According to a report in the newspaper “Bild”, Linnemann and CDU/CSU parliamentary secretary Thorsten Frei have set out several points that should be used to limit migration.

– Fixed border controls: These controls should be implemented in the EU and – similar to procedures at the border with Austria – are also implemented in Switzerland, Poland and the Czech Republic. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser does not rule out this in the future, but counts on flexible controls on the Polish and Czech borders, including beyond the border line. The police union (GdP) considers this “very reasonable”, as the head of the GdP federal police district, Andreas Roßkopf, told Berlin’s “Tagesspiegel” – but this has been in practice for years.

– Payment cards: Asylum seekers should be able to use them to buy food, etc. “The prepaid cards are intended to prevent them from transferring money to their home countries,” the paper quoted the Linnemann/Frei paper as saying. Coalition partner, FDP, also represents similar demands.

However, the general shift from cash to in-kind benefits is considered difficult. Community association general manager Gerd Landsberg told Düsseldorf’s “Rheinische Post”: “The switch to in-kind benefits for all asylum seekers is difficult to implement, creates bureaucracy and does not provide justice towards people who have the perspective of staying. According to the Federal Constitution Court conditions, pocket money must still be paid.”

– Asylum seekers who have no prospect of residence: They must undergo expedited asylum procedures in transit zones at the country’s borders. Rejected applicants must be accommodated at the return center. “This is intended to prevent those who are required to leave the country from going into hiding,” quotes “Bild”. In these centers, those who are required to leave the country no longer receive money, but only receive benefits in kind “up to the absolute minimum requirements”.

– International: The federal government should also end all voluntary admissions programs and declare the Mahgreb states of North Africa and India as safe countries of origin so that applications for asylum seekers from those countries can be more easily rejected.

– Upper limit: Söder’s request was not submitted by the CDU. On the contrary: “In my opinion, the upper limit is not the answer to the question of how to comply,” North Rhine-Westphalia (CDU) Interior Minister Herbert Reul told the German editorial network.