In the EU asylum debate, the Greens are particularly opposed to the fact that families with children should not be exempted from the so-called border procedures. © Friso Gentsch/dpa
A majority of EU member states want to significantly tighten the common asylum rules. For the Greens in the traffic light coalition, however, some proposals go far too far. Now a difficult decision has to be made.
Luxembourg/Berlin - Agree to coalition peace and EU partners for the sake of it? Or would you rather veto it? In the negotiations on a far-reaching reform of the EU asylum system, the leadership of the German Greens could face perhaps one of its most difficult political decisions in recent years.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) will have to say at an EU meeting in the morning whether the federal government supports the planned tightening of asylum rules, and will probably only be able to do so if the Greens agree as a coalition partner. If Faeser is unable to position himself, the necessary majority for the planned rule changes is unlikely to be achieved in a possible vote. Will there be a momentous scandal? Questions and answers at a glance:
What is planned?
At the heart of the current reform proposals are measures that are intended to lead to a significant reduction in the influx of people without the right to protection. Anyone entering from a country that is considered relatively safe could in future be placed in a strictly controlled reception centre after crossing the border. Ideally, it would then be checked within only twelve weeks whether the applicant has a chance of asylum - if not, he would be sent back immediately.
In addition, the monitoring and deportation of rejected asylum seekers is to be facilitated - for example, by collecting more data about them and storing them centrally.
What do the Greens have a problem with?
The party is particularly opposed to the fact that families with children should not be exempted from the so-called border procedures. She therefore sees the risk that minors may also have to live in prison-like conditions for several months.
In the preliminary negotiations for today's meeting, the German government tried to prevent border procedures for families with children. However, it failed because a majority of EU member states fear that exceptions will limit the deterrent nature of the regulation.
Could the Greens still agree in the federal government?
This is conceivable, but they would then have to prepare for major internal party debates. For example, the group of German Greens in the European Parliament warned against a compromise "at any price". The plans for so-called border procedures would be at the expense of human rights and would be ineffective, said their spokesman Rasmus Andresen to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
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Children in particular should not be held in mass camps for months. Previously, hundreds of Green Party members had already written a letter to their own top staff, in which they expressed sharp criticism of the reform plans and warned against approval.
What is the position of the other governing parties on the reform?
Politicians from the SPD and FDP have supported the Greens' demands for an exception for families with children, but do not want to let the asylum reform fail because of this. Shortly before the EU meeting, Federal Interior Minister Faeser warned of a failure of the negotiations. "It is important that we get results now. Otherwise, more nation-state isolation is to be expected," said the SPD politician before the meeting in Luxembourg.
The FDP recently appealed directly to the Greens not to block a possible agreement. The opportunity for a reform this week must be seized, said the domestic policy spokesman of the Bundestag group, Konstantin Kuhle, the media group Bavaria. "The failure of the asylum reform would be a heavy burden for Germany and the entire European Union."
Is the federal government the only factor of uncertainty?
No. It is also unclear whether Italy's planned regulations for more solidarity go far enough. Getting the asylum reform off the ground without the support of the government in Rome does not make much sense, as the country is currently the country with the largest number of migrants arriving and the EU is dependent on Italy adhering to the new rules.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 50,000 migrants crossing the Mediterranean have already been registered in Italy this year. Most of them came from Tunisia, Egypt and Bangladesh and thus had virtually no prospect of a legal prospect of staying.
What do the solidarity rules provide?
If countries are confronted with a very large influx of people, they should be able to apply for support from other Member States. A certain number of people seeking protection would then come to other countries via a distribution key. States that do not want to participate would have to make compensation payments for each person who is not admitted. Recently, sums of around 20,000 euros per person were discussed.
What's at stake?
Since the refugee crisis of 2015/2016 at the latest, it has become clear that the current EU asylum rules need to be revised. At that time, countries like Greece were overwhelmed by a mass influx of people from countries like Syria and hundreds of thousands were able to move on to other EU states unregistered. This should not have happened, because according to the so-called Dublin Regulation, asylum seekers are to be registered where they first entered the European Union. As a rule, this country is also responsible for the asylum application.
Would fewer asylum seekers come to Germany?
It's still hard to say. Germany would probably have to take in people from the external border states via the solidarity mechanism. At the same time, far fewer people could come illegally.
What happens if no decision can be made today?
It is conceivable that a special meeting of interior ministers will be organised again in a few weeks' time. A decision on the plans requires 15 out of 27 member states to vote yes, and together they must represent at least 65% of the EU's total population.
If the EU Council of Ministers does not take a decision by the summer break, there is unlikely to be any chance of bringing the reform project across the finish line in the foreseeable future. The reason is that there must also be negotiations with the European Parliament about it. These could take months - then there may not be enough time to complete the project before the European elections in June 2024.
EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola told Die Welt about Thursday's meeting: "We cannot afford to lose time, possibly even years." What is needed now is a constructive approach from all EU countries and a decision as soon as possible. Dpa
