German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser sees a "historic momentum" for the EU's refugee policy. The Greens are struggling. © M. Popov/IMAGO
Leading traffic light politicians are open to the idea of asylum centres at the EU's external borders. Is this the breakthrough to curb migration?
Munich – Recently, Nancy Faeser received praise of an unexpected kind. Horst Seehofer, her predecessor in the Ministry of the Interior, wished the SPD politician a "lucky hand" in the implementation of her plans. However, there was also an amused Horstian undertone in this, which could be translated as follows: Well, Nancy, then try your luck.
Faeser, a minister and beginning Hessian election campaigner in one, is calling for what has long been frowned upon in the SPD: asylum centers at the EU's external borders. It is not their invention: The EU Commission has already made such a proposal, Seehofer once brought the idea into play, several times even. He could not enforce it. Especially to the left of the center, they were considered populist devil's work. Now, however, there is movement in the debate.
Breakthrough in migration policy? Greens have a hard time with Faeser's initiative
Faeser even sees a "historic momentum" to finally come to a functioning EU asylum policy. In essence, this could work like this: Migrants who arrive at European borders are made mandatory for identity and vulnerability. Those who have a good chance of being granted asylum are distributed among EU countries and receive a regular procedure. Persons from countries with a poor recognition rate (maximum 15 percent) are sent to the asylum centres in question, and a decision is made on their asylum application within twelve weeks. If it turns out to be negative, the people should be returned to their countries of origin.
Early screening is the idea, which is anything but conflict-free domestically. The Greens in particular are having a hard time. Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir has signaled sympathy for a preliminary asylum check at the borders. All in all, however, the proposal contradicts the green DNA. "There will still be a dispute in the traffic light," political scientist Ursula Münch recently told Merkur.
Greens consider asylum centres to be "hatftanstalten for refugees"
Erik Marquardt, who sits in the EU Parliament for the Greens, sees several problems. "These centers would basically be detention centers for refugees," he told Merkur. No one can guarantee that EU law will apply there. The idea of fast-track procedures had already failed in the Greek refugee camp Moria, where the worst conditions prevailed. In general: "You first have to persuade states like Italy to accept such centers on their territory." He thinks this is illusory. Even now, the external border states often prefer to send protection seekers on to Germany rather than examine their asylum applications. "Why should that change now?"
Migration expert Gerald Knaus also has doubts. "All this will lead nowhere," he told Die Zeit. The border states have no guarantee that other EU countries will take the refugees from them (a fair distribution mechanism has failed for years due to countries like Hungary or Poland), nor can they simply send them back to their homes. There were no readmission agreements.
Faeser wants to negotiate with "all his might" about fair distribution of asylum policy
Of course, the hurdles are well known, and Faeser is resisting them with ministerial confidence. She said she was negotiating "with all her might" about a fair distribution in Europe. There is now a separate commissioner for migration agreements with the countries of origin, the FDP politician Joachim Stamp.
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The pressure is great, and not just domestically. The EU also knows that progress on asylum is necessary. Otherwise, the fear goes, the populists could benefit greatly in the 2024 European elections. While some have doubts about the breakthrough, Faeser is not the only one who is optimistic. EPP leader Manfred Weber also believes that a solution could be found in asylum policy by the end of the year. Something is happening in the member states, he told our newspaper recently.
Marquardt says that Berlin's repositioning has triggered something in the EU. "Germany has set the ball rolling." For him, no reason to rejoice.
