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DW
2 days ago
- Business
- DW
German–Greek relations face crisis over refugee policy – DW – 05/31/2025
The German government wants to send asylum seekers back to Greece. Athens is opposed to such repatriation. Instead, it wants more EU support with border protection, and a migration agreement with Libya. When the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, visited Germany in mid-May, it was a welcome break from the difficult time he has been having at home. The Economic Council of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, awarded him the Ludwig Erhard Foundation Gold Medal, which gave the conservative politician the opportunity to highlight his successes in growing the Greek economy by 2.3% in 2024 and reducing unemployment by 9.5% in the same year. However, Mitsotakis' meeting with Merz also had its downside, especially with regard to refugees and migration. In theory, the two conservative governments are in agreement: both are determined to stop irregular immigration to Europe. Both have appointed known hard-liners as ministers responsible for migration: the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) politician Alexander Dobrindt in Berlin, and Makis Voridis, a politician with a far-right background, in Athens. And both have decided that from now on there will be strict controls on who can and cannot come to Europe. Geographical distinctions In practice, however, the two countries have very different interests. Greece lies on the EU's external border. It is a first reception country for refugees and migrants dreaming of a better life in the richer countries of northern and western Europe. Consequently, asylum seekers already registered or recognized in Greece have for years been traveling on from there to Germany, France, or Scandinavia. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (left) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (right) both want to stop irregular immigration Image: Lisi Niesner/REUTERS So far, very few of these migrants have been sent back to Greece. However, the Merz government intends to facilitate their deportation. There is now a legal basis for this, after the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig ruled in mid-April that migrants did not face any extreme hardships in Greece. The presiding judge, Robert Keller, said the yardstick for assessment was whether the migrants had access to "bread, bed and soap." 'Not very friendly' Since this ruling, Germany could, in theory, send several thousand migrants back to Greece — especially young, healthy men traveling alone. The government in Athens does not want this. When asked about the German court's decision, Makis Voridis, the Greek minister for migration, said he did not currently have an application from Germany on his desk. "But we will not be very friendly toward any request," Voridis warned. A so-called 'Dublin Center' in Brandenburg aims to speed up the process of returning asylum seekers to their country of arrival Image: Patrick Pleul/dpa/picture alliance According to the Greek ministry for immigration and asylum, 56,066 irregular immigrants were registered last year — around 155 per day. In the same year, a total of 219 people returned from Germany to Greece. Only 473 recognized refugees returned to Greece last year from all the EU countries combined, including Germany. So far, in 2025, up until May 16, there have been 114 returnees, 48 of whom came from Germany. Returns in these numbers do not constitute an appreciable burden for Greece. However, if Germany really does decide it wants to send back an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 migrants who have traveled on from Greece, it will create problems for Athens. 30% drop in arrivals The Greek borders have been quieter since the start of this year. By April, 8,295 people had arrived — a 30% drop on the same period last year. "Thanks to effective border protection and improved cooperation with Turkey, the immigration flows have reduced by around 30% in the first four months, although the influx from Libya has increased by 174%," Minister Voridis said on May 22. The Greek minister for migration, Makis Voridis, says Greece will not welcome any request to repatriate migrants who have traveled on Image: Giannis Panagopoulos/ANE/picture alliance Now the minister for migration is hoping for an agreement with Libya, similar to the one Italy signed with the government in Tripoli in 2017. With financial and technical support from Italy, the Libyan authorities intercepted thousands of people who had already crossed the Mediterranean, and took them back to Libya. Previously, the migration route went from western Libya to the Italian island of Lampedusa. Now, there is a new route from Tobruk in eastern Libya to the Greek island of Crete. However, the Tripoli government does not control the east of the country. Although he has announced that he will soon be visiting Libya, Voridis currently has no dialog partner with whom he could make a deal — and he certainly does not have the money he would need to convince every militia in the North African country to shut down the route between Tobruk and Crete. Libya is a major transit route to Europe for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East (File photo: 2019) Image: Hazem Ahmed/AP/picture alliance Indictment against 17 coastguards In June 2023, after setting off from Tobruk, the fishing trawler Adriana sank off the Greek coast near the town of Pylos. It was overloaded, with several hundred people on board. An estimated 600 migrants drowned. Reports by survivors and investigations by international researchers suggest that there were serious failures by the Greek coast guard. Now, a Greek naval court has brought charges against 17 coastguards, some of them senior officers. They include the captain of the coastguard ship LS 920, which was significantly involved in the loss of the Adriana. He is accused of causing the sinking of the migrant boat, and faces charges of "dangerous interference of maritime transport" and "failure to provide assistance." Furthermore, all crew members of the Adriana, two duty officers, and the then head of the Greek coast guard are accused of having exposed the migrants on the ship to life-threatening danger. It is the first time the Greek judiciary has brought a criminal prosecution like this against high-level coast guard representatives. This article has been translated from German.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Germany questions the safety of its gold reserves in New York under Trump
Germany has the world's second-largest stock of gold at 3,352 tonnes, with one-third of it stored in New York. PHOTO: REUTERS Germany questions the safety of its gold reserves in New York under Trump FRANKFURT/BERLIN - The safety of Germany's gold reserves held overseas and in New York in particular, until recently mainly a talking point for the country's far-right party and gold bugs, is becoming a matter of public debate with Donald Trump back in the White House. The Bundesbank, Germany's central bank, has the world's second-largest stock of gold at 3,352 tonnes. One-third of it is stored at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for reasons dating back to the Cold War and the monetary system created in the wake of World War II. Those holdings have occasionally attracted scrutiny in the past, and the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) has embraced calls for a return of the country's gold back home. US President Donald Trump's confrontations with longstanding allies over trade and security, and his attacks on the Fed, have revived the issue in recent weeks, and more mainstream voices have joined the debate. Germany's Taxpayers Federation sent letters this week to the Bundesbank and the Finance Ministry calling on them to repatriate the gold stored in the US. "Trump wants to control the Fed, which would also mean controlling the German gold reserves in the US," Mr Michael Jaeger, vice-president of the Taxpayers Federation, told Reuters. "It's our money, it should be brought back." Mr Markus Ferber, an influential member of the European Parliament for Germany's ruling Christian Democrats, said the US was "no longer the reliable partner it used to be." "Trump is erratic and one cannot rule out that someday he will come up with creative ideas how to treat foreign gold reserves," he told Reuters. "The Bundesbank's policy for gold reserves has to reflect the new geopolitical realities." Public broadcasters ZDF and ARD have also recently carried reports asking how safe Germany's gold is in New York. The Bundesbank said the New York Fed remained "an important storage location" for its gold. "We have no doubt that in the New York Fed we have a trustworthy, reliable partner for the storage of our gold holdings," the central bank said, in response to a Reuters enquiry. The German Finance Ministry referred Reuters queries on the matter to the central bank, while stressing the Bundesbank's independence. Any hint that Germany might be considering moving gold out of New York would be politically sensitive as it could be interpreted as lack of confidence in the Federal Reserve and its independence. US President Donald Trump's confrontations with longstanding allies over trade and security and his attacks on the US Fed have given Germans pause for thought over the security of the country's gold reserves. PHOTO: REUTERS More on this Topic Trump summons Fed's Powell, tells him he's making a mistake on interest rates The European Central Bank last week stressed its trust in the Fed as a reliable partner. But Mr Trump's frequent criticism of Fed chairman Jerome Powell, whose term ends in a year, has fuelled some concerns about the Fed's future independence and its long-standing commitments to its partners. Mr Peter Boehringer, the architect of the original decade-old gold campaign and now an AfD lawmaker, said he felt vindicated that the topic of repatriating gold reserves has now become a matter discussed by mainstream media and other lawmakers. "When I started asking about the gold, I was dismissed as a conspiracy theorist," he said. "Today, after Trump, my concerns are shared widely." Germany accumulated most of its gold during its 1950s-1960s export boom. A key advantage of storing some of it in New York during the Cold War was to keep it at a safe distance from Russia in case of an invasion. The gold also cemented a military alliance with the US, which still has dozens of military bases around Germany, including Europe's largest. With the Soviet Union long gone, the Bundesbank brought back 300 tonnes of gold from New York between 2014 and 2017, saying it wanted to "build confidence at home". But Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the implicit threat it represents for the rest of Europe, was likely to complicate Germany's geopolitical calculus again. For Mr Ferber, this underscored the need for greater diversification across several, and potentially new, locations. Today, Germany's gold reserves are held at the Bundesbank headquarters in Frankfurt, in New York, and at the Bank of England in London. 'For gold reserves, diversification is key. Having all eggs in too few baskets is never advisable,' Mr Ferber said, without specifying where the gold should be brought. Mr Fritz Guentzler, a spokesperson for the Christian Democrats in the German Parliament, said he had no reason to mistrust the Fed but the Bundesbank should continue "regularly inspecting the stocks" of gold. The Bundesbank said it ran regular sample tests and had inspected 13 per cent of stock in New York over the years. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
Trump Sparks Debate Over Safety Of Germany's Gold In New York
Frankfurt: The safety of Germany's gold reserves held overseas and in New York in particular, until recently mainly a talking point for the country's far-right party and gold bugs, is becoming a matter of public debate with Donald Trump back in the White House. The Bundesbank, Germany's central bank, has the world's second largest stock of gold at 3,352 tonnes. One-third of it is stored at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for reasons dating back to the Cold War and the monetary system created in the wake of World War Two. Those holdings have occasionally attracted scrutiny in the past, and the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) has embraced calls for a return of the country's gold back home. US President Donald Trump's confrontations with longstanding allies over trade and security, and his attacks on the Fed, have revived the issue in recent weeks and more mainstream voices have joined the debate. Germany's Taxpayers Federation sent letters this week to the Bundesbank and the Finance Ministry calling on them to repatriate the gold stored in the United States. "Trump wants to control the Fed, which would also mean controlling the German gold reserves in the US" Michael Jaeger, the Taxpayers Federation's vice-president, told Reuters. "It's our money, it should be brought back." Markus Ferber, an influential member of the European Parliament for Germany's ruling Christian Democrats, said the United States was "no longer the reliable partner it used to be." "Trump is erratic and one cannot rule out that someday he will come up with creative ideas how to treat foreign gold reserves," he told Reuters. "The Bundesbank's policy for gold reserves has to reflect the new geopolitical realities." Public broadcasters ZDF and ARD have also recently carried reports asking how safe Germany's gold is in New York. The Bundesbank said the New York Fed remained "an important storage location" for its gold. "We have no doubt that in the New York Fed we have a trustworthy, reliable partner for the storage of our gold holdings," the central bank said in response to a Reuters enquiry. The German Finance Ministry referred Reuters queries on the matter to the central bank, while stressing the Bundesbank's independence. Any hint that Germany might be considering moving gold out of New York would be politically sensitive as it could be interpreted as lack of confidence in the Federal Reserve and its independence. The European Central Bank last week stressed its trust in the Fed as a reliable partner. But Trump's frequent criticism of Fed chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends in a year, has fuelled some concerns about the Fed's future independence and its long-standing commitments to its partners. Peter Boehringer, the architect of the original decade-old gold campaign and now an AfD lawmaker, said he felt vindicated that the topic of repatriating gold reserves has now become a matter discussed by mainstream media and other lawmakers. "When I started asking about the gold, I was dismissed as a conspiracy theorist," he said. "Today, after Trump, my concerns are shared widely." Germany accumulated most of its gold during its 1950s-1960s export boom. A key advantage of storing some of it in New York during the Cold War was to keep it at a safe distance from Russia in case of an invasion. The gold also cemented a military alliance with the United States, which still has dozens of military bases around Germany, including Europe's largest. With the Soviet Union long gone, the Bundesbank brought back 300 tonnes of gold from New York between 2014 and 2017, saying it wanted to "build confidence at home". But Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the implicit threat it represents for the rest of Europe, was likely to complicate Germany's geopolitical calculus again. For Ferber, this underscored the need for greater diversification across several, and potentially new, locations. Today, Germany's gold reserves are held at the Bundesbank headquarters in Frankfurt, in New York, and at the Bank of England in London. "For gold reserves, diversification is key. Having all eggs in too few baskets is never advisable," Ferber said, without specifying where the gold should be brought. Fritz Guentzler, a spokesperson for the Christian Democrats in the German parliament, said he had no reason to mistrust the Fed but the Bundesbank should continue "regularly inspecting the stocks" of gold. The Bundesbank said it ran regular sample tests and had inspected 13% of stock in New York over the years.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Germany wants its gold reserves back? Trump's return stirs old fears
Germany's gold reserves stored in the United States have become a renewed topic of debate amid concerns about Donald Trump's return to the White House. With 3,352 tonnes of gold—the world's second-largest reserve—Germany stores one-third of it in New York. Now, mainstream German political figures and public broadcasters are questioning whether the reserves are secure. The Bundesbank has maintained its trust in the Federal Reserve, but calls for greater diversification and transparency are growing within Germany's political landscape. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Calls for repatriation grow louder Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A shift in tone from the Centre Bundesbank maintains its position Long history, deep ties, and new uncertainty Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Security shifts spark fresh calculations The safety of Germany's overseas gold reserves—especially those stored in New York—is under fresh scrutiny. With Donald Trump back in the White House, concerns that were once limited to fringe political circles have now moved into the German Bundesbank, Germany's central bank, holds 3,352 tonnes of gold. It's the second-largest national stockpile in the world. Roughly one-third of this gold sits in the vaults of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That arrangement dates back to the Cold War, when storing gold abroad was seen as a strategic hedge against Soviet recently, it was mainly the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party that called for the gold to be brought back. Now, other political voices are echoing the Jaeger, vice-president of Germany's Taxpayers Federation, told Reuters, 'Trump wants to control the Fed, which would also mean controlling the German gold reserves in the U.S. It's our money, it should be brought back.'This week, the Federation sent letters to both the Bundesbank and the Finance Ministry urging them to act. Their concern: Trump's history of unpredictable policy shifts and confrontations with allies, including on trade and security Ferber, a member of the European Parliament representing the ruling Christian Democrats, has also voiced concern.'The United States was no longer the reliable partner it used to be,' he said. 'Trump is erratic and one cannot rule out that someday he will come up with creative ideas how to treat foreign gold reserves. The Bundesbank's policy for gold reserves has to reflect the new geopolitical realities.'Germany's national broadcasters ZDF and ARD have both aired reports asking whether the country's gold is still safe in New York. Such reports suggest that public interest in the issue is the political noise, the Bundesbank insists it has no reason to doubt the security of its gold in New York.'We have no doubt that in the New York Fed we have a trustworthy, reliable partner for the storage of our gold holdings,' it said in a written response to Reuters. The Finance Ministry, when contacted, referred enquiries back to the Bundesbank and reiterated the central bank's any sign that Germany might be considering moving its gold could be seen as a signal of mistrust in the Federal Reserve. That would have broader implications for the financial partnership between the two European Central Bank last week publicly backed the Fed, calling it a dependable institution. Yet Trump's ongoing criticism of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends next year, has raised wider concerns about the central bank's future gold hoard is a legacy of its post-war export boom in the 1950s and 60s. During the Cold War, storing gold in New York was considered a way to keep it out of Soviet reach. It also served to strengthen Germany's defence ties with the U.S., which still maintains dozens of military bases on German 2014 and 2017, the Bundesbank brought 300 tonnes of gold back from New York. The move was described at the time as an effort to 'build confidence at home.'Peter Boehringer, now an AfD lawmaker and a key voice behind that earlier campaign, said public sentiment has finally caught up with his concerns.'When I started asking about the gold, I was dismissed as a conspiracy theorist,' Boehringer said. 'Today, after Trump, my concerns are shared widely.'Russia's invasion of Ukraine has further complicated Germany's strategic thinking. Though the Soviet threat that justified the original New York storage has long faded, today's environment is hardly more sees this as a reason to rethink not just U.S. storage, but the broader strategy. 'For gold reserves, diversification is key. Having all eggs in too few baskets is never advisable,' he said. He didn't suggest new storage locations, but the message was Germany's gold is split between the Bundesbank in Frankfurt, the New York Fed, and the Bank of England in everyone believes there's a problem. Fritz Guentzler, a spokesperson for the Christian Democrats in the Bundestag, said, 'I have no reason to mistrust the Fed.' Still, he added, the Bundesbank should keep 'regularly inspecting the stocks' held Bundesbank says it does just that. Over the years, it has physically inspected 13% of its gold in New York and continues to conduct regular sample in a world where global alliances are shifting and political leadership is less predictable, even trusted arrangements may face new scrutiny. And for Germany, few things symbolise national wealth and trust quite like gold.
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Trump spurs questions about safety of Germany's gold in New York
FRANKFURT/BERLIN: The safety of Germany's gold reserves held overseas and in New York in particular, until recently mainly a talking point for the country's far-right party and gold bugs, is becoming a matter of public debate with Donald Trump back in the White House. The Bundesbank, Germany's central bank, has the world's second largest stock of gold at 3,352 tonnes. One-third of it is stored at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York for reasons dating back to the Cold War and the monetary system created in the wake of World War Two. Those holdings have occasionally attracted scrutiny in the past, and the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) has embraced calls for a return of the country's gold back home. US President Donald Trump's confrontations with longstanding allies over trade and security, and his attacks on the Fed, have revived the issue in recent weeks and more mainstream voices have joined the debate. Germany's Taxpayers Federation sent letters this week to the Bundesbank and the Finance Ministry calling on them to repatriate the gold stored in the United States. "Trump wants to control the Fed, which would also mean controlling the German gold reserves in the US" Michael Jaeger, the Taxpayers Federation's vice-president, told Reuters. "It's our money, it should be brought back." Markus Ferber, an influential member of the European Parliament for Germany's ruling Christian Democrats, said the United States was "no longer the reliable partner it used to be." "Trump is erratic and one cannot rule out that someday he will come up with creative ideas how to treat foreign gold reserves," he told Reuters. "The Bundesbank's policy for gold reserves has to reflect the new geopolitical realities." Public broadcasters ZDF and ARD have also recently carried reports asking how safe Germany's gold is in New York. The Bundesbank said the New York Fed remained "an important storage location" for its gold. "We have no doubt that in the New York Fed we have a trustworthy, reliable partner for the storage of our gold holdings," the central bank said in response to a Reuters enquiry. The German Finance Ministry referred Reuters queries on the matter to the central bank, while stressing the Bundesbank's independence. Any hint that Germany might be considering moving gold out of New York would be politically sensitive as it could be interpreted as lack of confidence in the Federal Reserve and its independence. The European Central Bank last week stressed its trust in the Fed as a reliable partner. But Trump's frequent criticism of Fed chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends in a year, has fuelled some concerns about the Fed's future independence and its long-standing commitments to its partners. Peter Boehringer, the architect of the original decade-old gold campaign and now an AfD lawmaker, said he felt vindicated that the topic of repatriating gold reserves has now become a matter discussed by mainstream media and other lawmakers. "When I started asking about the gold, I was dismissed as a conspiracy theorist," he said. "Today, after Trump, my concerns are shared widely." Germany accumulated most of its gold during its 1950s-1960s export boom. A key advantage of storing some of it in New York during the Cold War was to keep it at a safe distance from Russia in case of an invasion. The gold also cemented a military alliance with the United States, which still has dozens of military bases around Germany, including Europe's largest. With the Soviet Union long gone, the Bundesbank brought back 300 tonnes of gold from New York between 2014 and 2017, saying it wanted to "build confidence at home". But Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and the implicit threat it represents for the rest of Europe, was likely to complicate Germany's geopolitical calculus again. For Ferber, this underscored the need for greater diversification across several, and potentially new, locations. Today, Germany's gold reserves are held at the Bundesbank headquarters in Frankfurt, in New York, and at the Bank of England in London. "For gold reserves, diversification is key. Having all eggs in too few baskets is never advisable," Ferber said, without specifying where the gold should be brought. Fritz Guentzler, a spokesperson for the Christian Democrats in the German parliament, said he had no reason to mistrust the Fed but the Bundesbank should continue "regularly inspecting the stocks" of gold. The Bundesbank said it ran regular sample tests and had inspected 13 per cent of stock in New York over the years. (
