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DW
6 days ago
- Politics
- DW
German-Afghan relations under scrutiny over deportations – DW – 07/24/2025
The German government's policy of deporting Afghan criminials to Afghanistan relies on cooperation with the Taliban government in Kabul. The Islamists are hoping this is the first step toward diplomatic recognition. "We have succeeded in organizing another deportation flight with convicted criminals to Afghanistan," Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in a press release on July 18, following the departure of a plane from Leipzig to Kabul with 81 Afghan men with failed asylum applications and criminal convictions on board. As Dobrindt sees it, this flight means that the governing coalition of the center-right bloc of Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) has made good on its promise. "We will start deporting people to Afghanistan and Syria, beginning with criminals and dangerous individuals," they wrote in their coalition agreement. Deportation flights had already been conducted under the previous center-left government, which lost the general election on February 23, 2025. Nevertheless, Dobrindt (CSU) spoke of a "policy shift" — with reference to the "repatriation offensive." The plan is to put more pressure on countries to take back their citizens. In the case of Afghanistan, this is particularly tricky and sensitive because Germany has not officially recognized the Taliban as a legitimate government. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The Islamist Taliban returned to power in August 2021 following 20 years of struggle, after the US-led military mission ended in failure with the withdrawal of international troops. The humanitarian situation is dire and the radical Islamic fundamentalists have once again been systematically oppressing girls and women. An estimated 377,000 individuals of Afghan origin live in Germany. Many of them came as refugees. Many of them are permitted to stay although their individual asylum request has not been granted. In Germany, just under 11,500 Afghans are registered as required to leave the country, according to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) in May this year. The BAMF was unable to say whether and how many criminals or dangerous individuals are among those required to leave the country. Deportations to Afghanistan were taking place even before the Taliban regained power. They were controversial at the time due to the precarious security situation and remain so today due to ongoing human rights violations. Interior Minister Dobrindt nevertheless intends to stick to his course: "Serious criminals have no right to reside in our country," he said and government spokesman Stefan Kornelius announced on Monday that more deportations are to follow: "This isn't resolved with one flight." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Germany is hoping to avoid the impression that it's boosting the Taliban's international standing. The German government speaks of "technical contacts." The recent deportations were facilitated by the Qatari government. As government spokesman Stefan Kornelius put it, Qatar's role is as a mediator: "We're in ongoing contact with the de facto government in Afghanistan to arrange technical aspects." He avoided using the word Taliban. An agreement had been reached for the current Afghan administration to send two representatives to Germany, who will be based in the embassy in Berlin. The new diplomats will be tasked with "supporting further planned repatriation flights." This is the first time that the regime, which is not recognized by Germany, sends its own personnel to Germany. Germany and Afghanistan are clearly entering a new phase. Nevertheless, following the latest deportation flight, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was adamant: "Diplomatic recognition of the Taliban regime is not up for discussion. That is simply out of the question," Merz said at a press conference in Berlin. However, Conrad Schetter, an Afghanistan expert from the Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies (BICC), believes that other countries may follow Russia's lead and officially recognize the Taliban government. Schetter pointed to Afghanistan's close ties with other countries, including Pakistan and Qatar: if these countries follow Russia's example, it could put considerable political pressure on Western countries, he told DW. "And this is likely to spark the kind of diplomatic momentum that the Taliban are hoping will be triggered by Russia's latest move," said Schetter. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Peace and conflict researcher Nicole Deitelhoff from the University of Frankfurt am Main has strongly criticized Germany's policy on Afghanistan. In the newspaper, she wrote that deportations are inadmissible if those affected are at risk of torture or inhumane treatment in their country of origin. What's more, she predicts that the policy shift will negatively impact on Germany's reputation. Deitelhoff points to the German government's decision to end its admission program for former Afghan workers who aided the Bundeswehr during its military engagement. "Who can still trust a country that promises its civilian aid workers that it will ensure their safety in the future and then abandons them just like that?" Deitelhoff you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
DW
22-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Germany updates: EU ministers talk migration in Denmark – DW – 07/22/2025
Germany's Alexander Dobrindt, a migration hard-liner, is attending a meeting of EU interior ministers on the issue in Denmark. DW has this and more in its blog on German current affairs. EU interior ministers are meeting in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, on Tuesday for talks on how best to combat irregular migration and organized crime. Among them is be German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, who last week already advocated a harsher European migration policy in talks with several counterparts, including on repatriations of rejected asylum-seekers to countries like Syria and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, a cyber espionage operation targeting Microsoft server software has compromised a large number of organizations, including some in Germany. A German Air Force flight made an emergency landing in Leipzig on Monday night after a warning message went off in the cockpit, a spokesperson said. Speaking with the German press agency DPA, the Airbus A319 was on its way back from Berlin to its base in Cologne. Earlier, the plane had been carrying Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig, who had been on her first official visit to Poland. She had disembarked in Berlin. The spokesperson said that the plane would be inspected today, after which a decision will be made if the aircraft needs repairs. German military equipment has long been the butt of international jokes for being run-down and out of date. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel famously had to break off a journey to a G20 summit when her plane experienced technical issues. The German media group Südwestdeutsche Medienholding (SWMH), which owns daily among other publications, has been the target of a "critical IT security incident," it said on Tuesday. The group said its internal network was briefly accessed by unauthorized individuals in mid-July, affecting all the companies connected by it, including the and dailies. It said the attack had been stopped and that all online reporting and newspaper production had continued without disruption. The attack has been reported to the police cybercrime unit and the incident is being investigated by external IT security experts, it said. SWMH is one of Germany's largest newspaper publishers and employs some 4,500 people. Germany's Constitutional Court has upheld a three-year jail sentence handed to a former doctor convicted of assisting in the suicide of a mentally ill patient. The man had filed a complaint with the court claiming that his basic rights had been violated by his punishment. The court said the man had failed to prove sufficiently that this was the case. The former doctor was sentenced in 2024 by a regional court in Essen for having assisted the patient to commit suicide in 2020, although the latter suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and was considered by the court to be incapable of taking a free decision to take his life. Physician-assisted suicide is legal in Germany under some circumstances, but the patient has to be determined to be mentally sound enough to make the decision. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoEuropean countries have massively increased their defense spending amid fears of further Russian territorial aggression. Several startups in Germany are seeking to exploit the trend but face many challenges. DW has this video analysis: To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The German Association of General Practitioners (Hausärztinnen- und Hausärzteverband) has warned that a newly introduced system aimed at allowing health care providers to more easily exchange patient data is in danger of "crash landing." "The number of active users is sobering," association chairman Markus Beier told the daily . "If those in charge keep on as they have been, one of the most important care projects of the past years will fail slowly but surely." He said this would be bad news for patients, as "a well-implemented electronic patient file indubitably would have the potential to tangibly improve and simplify care." He called on health insurance companies to conduct a "big and coordinated information campaign" for their customers. Beier, however, also criticized the system itself as being over-complicated to use, saying that barely a week went by in which doctors' practices didn't have problems accessing patient files. Electronic patient fileswere rolled out nationwide in April of this year. The files contain the entire medical history of a patient, with aim of facilitating treatment coordination between physicians and other health care providers. Internet security experts say there have been dozens of hacking attacks on self-hosted servers using Microsoft's SharePoint software, affecting several organizations, including government bodies, mostly in Germany and the US. The SharePoint servers are widely used by organizations, including government bodies, major industrial firms, banks, auditors and health care companies, for the internal sharing of documents and to facilitate collaboration. Security researchers warn that the hacking operation, reportedly known as "ToolShell," is a serious one and can allow actors to fully access SharePoint file systems, including services connected to SharePoint, such as Teams and OneDrive. The hack allows the perpetrators to potentially drop a so-called backdoor to give them continuous access to victim organizations. Microsoft said it had "provided security updates and encourages customers to install them," a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement. It said the vulnerability affects only on-site SharePoint servers used within businesses or organizations and not Microsoft's cloud-based SharePoint Online service. Eye Security, a Netherlands-based cybersecurity firm that helped uncover the operation, has declined to identify the affected organizations, but said the relevant national authorities had been notified. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Interior ministers from the 27 EU member states are set to meet in the Danish capital,Copenhagen, for talks focusing on migration and European security. Discussions are to center on how best to repatriate people who have had their asylum requests refused and how to combat irregular migration. The fight against organized crime and the drug trade will also be on the agenda. Proposals on the table include the possibility of setting up so-called repatriation centers outside the EU. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is expected to be among the attendees. Dobrindt has already implemented controversial pushback measures at Germany's borders that a court has ruled to be illegal. Last Friday, the conservative politician from Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU) also pushed for much harsher European migration policies in talks with counterparts from Austria, France, Denmark, Poland and the Czech Republic during a summit hosted in Germany. This included proposals to be more rigorous in sending people back to home countries whose security situation is fragile, such as Syria and Afghanistan. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video from the DW Bonn newsroom on the banks of the Rhine! Riding high after sealing an agreement from a German business alliance to invest €631 billion ($733 billion) in Germany over the next three years, Chancellor Friedrich Merz is turning to foreign diplomacy on Tuesday, hosting Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in Berlin. Meanwhile, Merz's interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, is set to attend a meeting in Denmark with his EU counterparts to talk migration. German Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan is also setting off, headed to South Africa as part of the Just Energy Transition Partnership. He's also planning to take part in the G20 development ministers' summit taking place in Johannesburg. For the latest developments, explainers and analysis from Germany, keep reading.
Euronews
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Germany's interior minister backs Polish border measures during visit
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has praised Poland's border control measures after visiting the Polish-Belarusian border. "Here you can see how effective external border protection is done," he said during a visit with his Polish counterpart Tomasz Siemoniak on Monday, adding that it has had an "enormous impact". Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and others in his government have long argued that Russia and Belarus are deliberately encouraging migrants to cross the border in an attempt to destabilise Poland, an ally of Ukraine, and the European Union. Poland's previous government reacted to the arrival of migrants by building a steel barrier and imposing a state of emergency in 2021. Tusk's administration has recently ramped up measures to curb migration along Poland's heavily fortified border with Belarus. The border is secured by a high steel fence and electronic surveillance equipment. In May, the Polish parliament voted to extend the suspension of asylum applications from Belarus The measure, which has been widely criticised by human rights groups, allows Polish authorities to suspend asylum rights for 60 days at a time. Dobrindt said that it is a problem that Russia and Belarus are trying to use "migration as a weapon" to destabilise Poland, Germany and the European Union. He also expressed support for Poland's recent decision to introduce temporary border controls in response to Germany's tighter checks. Poland implemented border checks on its frontiers with fellow EU member states Germany and Lithuania earlier this month, in what Warsaw said was a step to check migrants more thoroughly amid public concerns over immigration. Warsaw had claimed that Germany was transporting migrants into Polish territory after they reached Western Europe. On Monday, the two interior ministers said that the reciprocal controls on the Polish-German border are temporary and their common goal is to lift them as soon as possible and to focus on protecting the EU's external borders. "Poland is Germany's most important partner within the EU, alongside our French neighbours," Dobrindt said. Germany and Poland, which share a 467-kilometre border, are both part of the visa-free Schengen Area, which typically allows citizens to travel across borders easily for work or pleasure. Member states are allowed to introduce border controls in times of serious threat, according to the EU. Germany first imposed controls on its borders with Poland in 2023 to combat human trafficking and curb irregular migration. After taking office in May, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz ordered more police to be stationed at Germany's borders and granted them powers to turn away some asylum seekers.
DW
22-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Germany updates: EU ministers to talk migration in Denmark – DW – 07/22/2025
Germany's Alexander Dobrindt, a migration hard-liner, is set to attend a meeting of EU interior ministers on the issue in Denmark. DW has this and more in its blog on German current affairs. EU interior ministers will meet in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, on Tuesday for talks on how best to combat irregular migration and organized crime. Among them will be German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, who last week already advocated a harsher European migration policy in talks with several counterparts, including on repatriations of rejected asylum-seekers to countries like Syria and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, a cyber espionage operation targeting Microsoft server software has compromised a large number of organizations, including some in Germany. from the DW newsroom in the stately city of Bonn on the Rhine! Problems associated with migration, particularly irregular migration, continue to be a political focus in Germany and the EU, with German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt an advocate of restrictive policies. He is thus likely to exhort his European counterparts to implement harsher measures at a meeting in Denmark on Tuesday that is to focus on the issue. We will also be talking about teething pains with Germany's new digital system for sharing patient information between health care providers, and a hacking attack on Microsoft server software that might have led to massive data leaks in Germany, among other countries. Read here to find out what Germany is talking about on Tuesday, July 22.
Euractiv
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Euractiv
In EU first, Germany to allow Taliban officials to work at Afghan missions
BERLIN – Germany has become the first EU country to allow Afghanistan's Taliban regime to send officials to Germany to assist with the deportation of Afghan nationals. This move follows a push from Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt for direct talks with the radical Islamist Taliban to facilitate regular deportations of rejected asylum seekers and convicted offenders to Afghanistan. Such flights had been largely halted due to diplomatic and human rights concerns after the militia toppled the Western-backed government in 2021. But Germany resumed deportations to Afghanistan on Friday – only the second such flight since 2021. As part of this arrangement, mediated by Qatar, the German government has approved the deployment of two Afghan consular officers to Germany, it confirmed on Monday. The officials would "support further planned deportation flights", said government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius. Berlin has insisted that this did not constitute recognition of the Taliban, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), which first reported the decision on Friday. Russia is currently the only country to have officially recognised the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government, following an announcement three weeks ago. Still, Germany's decision marks a significant policy shift, as the newly elected government has pledged to crack down on illegal migration after a series of violent attacks linked to rejected asylum-seekers earlier this year. It also led a group of EU interior ministers, who called for regular deportations to Afghanistan and Syria at a dedicated migration summit on Friday. Norway, a non-EU member, is so far the only European country to have accepted an acting Taliban envoy, however. Germany maintains no formal diplomatic ties with the Taliban, with the German government saying there was only strictly technical cooperation on a regular basis. The two Afghan officials have previously worked for the Western-backed government and had no known history of extremism, according to the FAZ . They could arrive "soon" and would be based at the Afghan embassy in Berlin and the consulate in Bonn, without holding formal diplomatic rank. (aw)
