The Bundestag voted for increasing restrictions in the right to asylum and simultaneous simplification of access to the labor market for applicants. The CDU/CSU and SPD factions spoke in favor of the project, while the AfD, Greens, and the Left opposed it. Thus, the black-red coalition has largely implemented into German law the reform approved at the EU level back in 2024.
Key points of the reform include mandatory identity checks for arrivals, as well as conducting asylum procedures at the external borders of the European Union for applicants from countries with low recognition rates for protection rights. Germany, being in the center of Europe, is affected by these measures only in part of international airports and seaports. In case of refusal, asylum seekers are expected to be deported directly from there.
Procedures for determining responsibility in Europe will be accelerated
The processing times for cases of persons seeking protection who have already applied in another EU member state will be reduced. The possibility of transferring a person to the state responsible for conducting a specific procedure will be extended — for example, if the person is temporarily hiding. The states receive the right to create so-called secondary migration centers with a residency obligation. People who must leave Germany because another EU country is responsible for their case will be accommodated there.
Alongside this, asylum seekers living in reception centers will be able to work in Germany as early as after three months. Currently, a six-month ban on work actually applies to applicants obliged to reside in such institutions. Those who no longer live there already have the right to work after three months. Exceptions for residents of primary reception centers in certain cases may be approved by the Federal Employment Agency.
Criticism from the opposition
Representatives of the AfD called the tightening of measures insufficient. What you are presenting here is a fake, stated deputy Maximilian Krah.
On the contrary, Lukas Benner from the Green party called the document the largest tightening of the right to asylum since 1993. He noted that European rules must be implemented; however, the coalition used the room for maneuver with excessive rigidity. Mentioning restrictions on freedom of movement for applicants, he emphasized that this is a mistake and extremely problematic from the point of view of constitutional law.
Clara Bünger from the Left faction indicated that the reform will bring more chaos, suffering, and lawlessness instead of the order promised by Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt (CSU). Dobrindt, in turn, called European migration policy dysfunctional for many years and assessed the reform as important progress.
SPD politician Sebastian Fiedler promised: Those who need protection will receive it. He rejected the accusations of the Left and Greens that children could be taken into custody, clarifying that this refers to a rare exceptional rule for children whose parents end up under arrest.The number of people applying for asylum for the first time in Germany has been decreasing since autumn 2023. While in 2024 almost 230,000 primary applications were filed, last year this figure fell to approximately 113,000. On top of control at internal borders, a role here was also played by the change of power in Syria in December 2024.
Latest Posts
