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Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Germany: Report slams Merz's immigration policies
(Image: AP) "German refugee policies are not suitable for current global challenges," concluded Benjamin Etzold this week in Berlin, where he presented the "Global Forced Displacement Report" he co-wrote along with his colleagues from the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC). Recalling Germany's recent federal election campaign, which was significantly shaped by the issue of immigration, Etzold thinks the debate was too "heated" and too focused on how immigration affects Germany — something he believes is unlikely to change under the new government. The researcher thinks the public debate could be improved by more interest in facts and scientific findings, while the global dimension of displacement is still largely being ignored. Do border controls deter? The migration expert also sharply criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz 's major new policy announcement: The tightening of border controls and turning back of migrants and asylum seekers. The effectiveness of such measures is hugely overestimated, Etzold said. Franck Düvell, a migration researcher at Osnabrück University, agrees. "Whenever someone is turned back, he will try again and again and again, until he is in the country." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dukung Orang Terkasih Menghadapi Limfoma: Mulai Di Sini Limfoma Baca Undo This applies to the European Union's internal and external borders. "Whenever one route is closed, there is another route nearby. It may be more dangerous, but it then becomes more frequently used," Düvell said, explaining the effect he and other researchers have analyzed. This is precisely what brings human traffickers onto the scene. How smuggling networks make money Human traffickers specialize in providing irregular, sometimes illegal, and often life-threatening migration routes to desperate people. "That could be using fake documents, that could be being hidden in trucks, it could be these unseaworthy boats," said Düvell, another of the BICC report's authors. "That is the unwanted side effect, which we repeatedly see with such measures." Against this backdrop, the asylum and migration experts see the new report as an appeal to the international community to pull together to tackle the problem. "It is urgently necessary that multilateral refugee and migrant policies are resurrected, even without the participation of the United States," said Etzold. "Germany can and should take a European and global leadership position on this issue, instead of pursuing fragmented national responses." Improving people's prospects More and more people seeking protection are being detained in camps for long periods. They may be provided for and managed there, Etzold said, but the desperate lack of prospects in such places forces people to move on, many of them to Germany. The researcher sees only one viable way to change that "Ultimately, only legal security and improved life prospects where they are can reduce the pressure for further migration and prevent irregular migration to Germany." Etzold thinks that the announcement by Germany's new government that it wants to drastically limit legal access routes through humanitarian reception programs or family reunification is counterproductive. He believes that policy could even encourage the irregular migration that they want to combat. Not only that, Petra Bendel of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, who also worked on the report, fears that Germany could be breaking the law by turning people back at the border. The right to asylum is protected in both Germany's constitution, or Basic Law, as well as European law. "If you put politics ahead of these laws, then you are opening the door to despotism," she said.
Muscat Daily
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Muscat Daily
Germany: Report slams Merz's new immigration policies
Berlin, Germany – 'German refugee policies are not suitable for current global challenges,' concluded Benjamin Etzold this week in Berlin, where he presented the 'Global Forced Displacement Report', which he co-wrote along with his colleagues from the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC). Recalling Germany's recent federal election campaign, which was significantly shaped by the issue of migration, Etzold thinks the debate was too 'heated' and too focused on how migration affects Germany – something he believes is unlikely to change under the new government. The public debate could do with more interest in facts and scientific findings, the researcher thinks, while the global dimension of displacement is still largely being ignored. Do border controls deter? The migration expert also sharply criticised Chancellor Friedrich Merz's major new policy announcement: The tightening of border controls and turning back of migrants and asylum seekers. The effectiveness of such measures is hugely overestimated, Etzold said. Franck Düvell, migration researcher at Osnabrück University, agrees: 'Whenever someone is turned back, he will try again and again and again, until he is in the country.' This applies both to the European Union's internal borders as well as the bloc's external borders. 'Whenever one route is closed, there is another route nearby. It may be more dangerous, but it then becomes more frequently used,' Düvell said, explaining the effect he and other researchers have analysed. This is precisely what brings human traffickers onto the scene. How smuggling networks make money Human traffickers specialise in providing irregular, sometimes illegal, and often life-threatening migration routes to desperate people: 'That could be using fake documents, that could be being hidden in trucks, it could be these unseaworthy boats,' said Düvell, another of the BICC report's authors. 'That is the unwanted side effect, which we repeatedly see with such measures.' Against this backdrop, the asylum and migration experts see the new report as an appeal to the international community to pull together to tackle the problem. 'It is urgently necessary that multilateral refugee and migrant policies are resurrected, even without the participation of the United States,' said Etzold. 'Germany can and should take a European and global leadership position on this issue, instead of pursuing fragmented national responses.' Improving people's prospects More and more people seeking protection are being detained in camps for long periods. They may be provided for and managed there, the expert said, but the desperate lack of prospects in such places forces people to move on – many of them to Germany. Etzold sees only one viable way to change that: 'Ultimately, only legal security and improved life prospects where they are can reduce the pressure for further migration and prevent irregular migration to Germany.' Etzold thinks that the announcement by Germany's new government that it wants to drastically limit legal access routes through humanitarian reception programmes or family reunification is counterproductive. He believes that policy could even encourage the irregular migration that they want to combat. Not only that, Petra Bendel of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, who also worked on the report, fears that Germany could be breaking the law by turning people back at the border. The right to asylum is protected in both Germany's constitution, or Basic Law, as well as European law. 'If you put politics ahead of these laws, then you are opening the door to despotism,' she said. DW
DW
20-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Germany: Report slams Merz's immigration policies – DW – 05/20/2025
"German refugee policies are not suitable for current global challenges," concluded Benjamin Etzold this week in Berlin, where he presented the "Global Forced Displacement Report," which he co-wrote along with his colleagues from the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC). Recalling Germany's recent federal election campaign, which was significantly shaped by the issue of migration, Etzold thinks the debate was too "heated" and too focused on how migration affects Germany — something he believes is unlikely to change under the new government. The public debate could do with more interest in facts and scientific findings, the researcher thinks, while the global dimension of displacement is still largely being ignored. Do border controls deter? The migration expert also sharply criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz's major new policy announcement: The tightening of border controls and turning back of migrants and asylum seekers. The effectiveness of such measures is hugely overestimated, Etzold said. Franck Düvell, migration researcher at Osnabrück University, agrees: "Whenever someone is turned back, he will try again and again and again, until he is in the country." This applies both to the European Union's internal borders as well as the bloc's external borders. "Whenever one route is closed, there is another route nearby. It may be more dangerous, but it then becomes more frequently used," Düvell said, explaining the effect he and other researchers have analyzed. This is precisely what brings human traffickers onto the scene. German police conduct expanded border checks To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video How smuggling networks make money Human traffickers specialize in providing irregular, sometimes illegal, and often life-threatening migration routes to desperate people: "That could be using fake documents, that could be being hidden in trucks, it could be these unseaworthy boats," said Düvell, another of the BICC report's authors. "That is the unwanted side effect, which we repeatedly see with such measures." Against this backdrop, the asylum and migration experts see the new report as an appeal to the international community to pull together to tackle the problem. "It is urgently necessary that multilateral refugee and migrant policies are resurrected, even without the participation of the United States," said Etzold. "Germany can and should take a European and global leadership position on this issue, instead of pursuing fragmented national responses." Franck Düvell, Petra Bendel, and Benjamin Etzold (left to right) present the new BICC forced displacement report in Berlin Image: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa/picture alliance Improving people's prospects More and more people seeking protection are being detained in camps for long periods. They may be provided for and managed there, the expert said, but the desperate lack of prospects in such places forces people to move on — many of them to Germany. Etzold sees only one viable way to change that: "Ultimately, only legal security and improved life prospects where they are can reduce the pressure for further migration and prevent irregular migration to Germany." Etzold thinks that the announcement by Germany's new government that it wants to drastically limit legal access routes through humanitarian reception programs or family reunification is counterproductive. He believes that policy could even encourage the irregular migration that they want to combat. Not only that, Petra Bendel of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, who also worked on the report, fears that Germany could be breaking the law by turning people back at the border. The right to asylum is protected in both Germany's constitution, or Basic Law, as well as European law. "If you put politics ahead of these laws, then you are opening the door to despotism," she said. This article was originally written in German. While 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.
BBC News
09-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
WW2 pigeons remembered as racing season opens
The role of pigeons during World War Two has been remembered as owners gathered for the start of a pigeon club's racing birds carried vital messages about troop positions and early news of the D-Day landings. The British International Championship Club (BICC) - a pigeon racing organisation - held a commemorative party at Sarisbury Green in Hampshire, as fanciers met to prepare for the first official race on Jill Rogers said: "Pigeons were a very important part and they got medals for their saving of lives." She added: "People gave their racing pigeons up to be part of the war effort."A quarter of a million birds were used. There wasn't the same technology and also they could do it securely without it being got at by enemy forces."Thirty-two pigeons during World War Two received Dickin Medals for animal recipient - RAF bird Winkie - was released by the crew of a plane that came under fire and ditched in North Sea. Winkie made it home covered in oil and led to the crew's also carried D-Day despatches home from Allied forces and journalists in Normandy. Heroic World War Two pigeons Winkie was the first pigeon to be responsible for the rescue of airmen during World War Two when she flew 120 miles in February 19443 to alert rescue services that a Beaufighter had crashed in the North SeaUS Army pigeon G.I. Joe carried news of the liberation of an Italian village in 1943 just in time to save at least 100 Allied soldiers from being bombed by their own planesRAF pigeon Gustave brought back the first despatch from the Reuters news agency on D-Day - 6 June 1944The pigeon Duke of Normandy brought back the first message on D-Day from British airborne forcesOn 12 June 1944, the pigeon Paddy carried coded information on the Allied advance from Normandy to Hampshire, setting a record homing time of four hours and 50 minutes(Sources: IWM, Larne & District Historical Society, PDSA) Bill Edwards from BICC said modern-day fanciers are proud of the role of pigeons during the said: "There was the National Pigeon Service that mobilised lofts around the front line."All the aircraft... took two pigeons with them in case the aircraft were shot down."A previous commemorative race, organised by another club in Normandy on 3 May, was won by a pigeon called VE Day Surprise from Wales. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
