German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed with regional state premiers to speed up asylum proceedings to facilitate the deportation of illegal migrants and enable more successful integration of those allowed to stay.
(Bloomberg) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed with regional state premiers to speed up asylum proceedings to facilitate the deportation of illegal migrants and enable more successful integration of those allowed to stay.
Russia’s war against Ukraine has triggered a new refugee wave in Europe, which is pushing local authorities in Germany to the limits as they struggle to accommodate and support the more than 1 million war refugees who arrived over the past 14 months, mainly women and children.
The huge influx of Ukrainian war refugees is also reducing the capabilities of local authorities to house and integrate the roughly 244,000 asylum seekers who came to Germany from other countries such as Afghanistan, Syria or Iraq.
Scholz told reporters after seven hours of talks in the chancellery that the federal government agreed to make available an additional €1 billion ($1.1 billion) this year for municipalities to help finance the housing and integration of Ukrainian war refugees and other asylum seekers.
At the same time, the federal government and the 16 state premiers agreed on a set of measures aimed at speeding up the arrest and deportation of migrants whose asylum request were rejected. The measures include more authority for police to search rooms in shared accommodation to enable more arrests.
“The big task we’re facing is to manage and limit irregular migration,” Scholz said.
”The most important change will be that Germany will now seal entirely new types of migration partnerships,” he added.
Germany would on the one hand agree with other countries on the conditions that would allow skilled workers to come to Germany. “But in return, we will also conclude very clear agreements on the return of those citizens who cannot stay here for various reasons, but also because they have not successfully applied for asylum here,” Scholz said.
To facilitate these new partnerships with other countries, the federal government created the new role of a special commissioner for migration agreements and it appointed Joachim Stamp for this task, the chancellor said.
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