&w=3840&q=100)
Germany's Dobrindt, EU ministers propose radical shift in asylum policy to ease migration strain
European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner, Danish Minister of Immigration and Integration Kaare Dybvad Bek, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of the Interior Daniela Ludwig, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, and Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan meet to discuss migration policies, during Zugspitze Summit, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Reuters
Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and five European counterparts agreed on a set of goals on Friday to tighten asylum rules in the bloc, including allowing deportations to Afghanistan and Syria.
The meeting at Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze, follows Berlin's decision in May to reject asylum seekers at the border, a policy it said was coordinated with neighbouring countries but drew significant criticism.
It comes almost exactly a decade after former German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the country's borders to nearly a million refugees fleeing war and persecution, a landmark decision that reshaped European politics.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Dobrindt met counterparts from France, Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Denmark, as well as EU Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner.
The agreed asylum policy goals, which require approval from Brussels, include removing legislative obstacles to transferring rejected asylum seekers to secure centres outside the EU and enabling asylum procedures in third countries.
Germany's new government has already placed curbs on migration including suspending family reunification and resettlement programmes, as it seeks to regain support from voters drawn to the far-right Alternative for Germany, which made historic gains in February's federal election. On Friday Germany deported 81 Afghan men to Afghanistan.
'We are all concerned that the overburdening of our countries by illegal migration is also contributing massively to the polarization of society. We want to push back this polarization,' Dobrindt said.
Deportations to countries such as Afghanistan and Syria should be reinstated as standard practice, with citizens from countries failing to cooperate on deportations to face visa restrictions, a joint declaration said.
Trade, and development aid will also be used as leverage to boost returns and strengthen migration cooperation, the document said, pressing for increasing deployment of drones and more EU funding for border infrastructure and personnel.
The countries agreed to combat smugglers and work to dismantle human trafficking networks.
Asylum seekers who have already been granted protection in another EU country will be quickly rejected if they claim asylum elsewhere in the bloc.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
'Once we seal the external border, there will be no need for internal border controls,' Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said.
Siemoniak said he discussed the border controls Germany introduced unilaterally at its border with Dobrindt, adding that Poland is ready to waive the controls at its border once Germany does the same.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
5 minutes ago
- Deccan Herald
UK to start returning some migrants to France within days
Britain said it will begin implementing a deal to return some migrants who arrive on small boats to France within days, a key part of its plans to cut illegal migration, after a treaty on the arrangement is ratified on Tuesday. Under the new deal, France has agreed to accept the return of undocumented people arriving in Britain by small boats, in exchange for Britain agreeing to accept an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers with British family connections. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced the "one in, one out" pilot scheme on migrant returns last month. More than 25,000 people have come to Britain on small boats so far in 2025, and Starmer has pledged to "smash the gangs" of smugglers to try to reduce the number of arrivals. Starmer, whose popularity has fallen since winning an election landslide last year, is facing pressure to stop small boats from Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, which leads national opinion polls. In recent weeks in England, there have been a number of protests around hotels housing the asylum seekers who have arrived on small boats, attended by both anti-immigration and pro-immigration groups.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
EU faces 15% tariff on exports to US: Key details revealed
Brussels: The 15% tariff that European Union goods face when entering the United States is all-inclusive, unlike the deals some other countries have struck with Washington, a senior EU official said on Tuesday. The tariff framework will apply broadly to EU exports, except for steel and aluminium, the official said. The 15% rate will also apply to cars and car parts, with no quotas or limits, he added. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program "What we have obtained in our deal is the best available treatment," the EU official told reporters, while adding that the 27-nation bloc was not celebrating the 15% rate, but that it considered it was a very good deal compared to others. Tariffs on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors are currently zero, but if they rise as a result of a US probe into imports of those products, they will not exceed the 15% ceiling. Talks on a joint statement with the US that will spell out more details are very advanced, with the text broadly ready, with the EU waiting for a response from Washington to finalise things, the official said. He declined to give a timeline for its release. Live Events
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Bullying tactics: on India pushing back against the U.S., the EU
After months of considerable forbearance, the statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), on Monday, pushing back against the U.S. and the European Union (EU) for 'targeting' India is significant. The statement came two hours after Mr. Trump had announced penalty tariffs against India, 'substantially' above the current 25% rate set to go into place this week, for importing, processing and selling Russian oil. A day earlier, a senior Trump aide had accused India of 'financing' Russia's war in Ukraine. And on July 18, the EU had announced sanctions on India's Vadinar refinery (partially Russian owned), and secondary sanctions that will affect Indian refiners. The MEA spokesperson said that the measures were 'unjustified and unreasonable' as the U.S. and the EU continue to trade with Russia for goods including LNG, critical minerals and nuclear fuel requirements. The statement also said that it was the U.S. that had encouraged India to keep buying Russian oil to stabilise global markets, something the Biden administration had confirmed. The government said that in comparison to the western countries, India's Russian oil purchases are a 'vital national compulsion' as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, adding that India would '... safeguard its national interests and economic security'. The MEA's statement is the first such clear response on the issue since the Ukraine conflict. Taken with Union Minister Piyush Goyal's statement last week on the U.S. announcement of 25% reciprocal tariffs on India from August 7, Monday's statement indicates New Delhi's growing frustration with the U.S.'s increasingly offensive positions against India, including on immigration, trade negotiations, Operation Sindoor and Pakistan, and India's BRICS membership. It is unclear how and to what extent the government is prepared to stand up to the bullying tactics of Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump said on Tuesday that India has not been a 'good trading partner' — a possible reference to trade talks and the failure of a mini-deal, ostensibly over India's resistance on agricultural market access, dairy products and GM foods. While it is hoped that New Delhi will continue to engage Washington and Brussels to conclude their respective trade talks, the MEA statement is meant to make a larger point. Neither the U.S. nor the EU can decide which country India will partner or trade with. That message is being underlined in visits by Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to Moscow, to prepare for the Russian President's visit to India later this year. India's sovereignty is non-negotiable and its foreign policy choices cannot be manipulated by other countries, no matter how significant their own ties with India are.
