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The Star
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Germany's tougher border controls show early impact, but raise sustainability concerns
BERLIN, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Amid growing migration pressures, Germany's recently intensified border controls and increased asylum rejections are beginning to yield results. Even as the Federal Ministry of the Interior showed no signs of rolling back, the police union warned on Monday that the measures are not sustainable in the long run. Shortly after taking office, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt ordered a sharp increase in border checks and authorized the rejection of asylum seekers directly at entry points. Within a week, the number of rejections rose by nearly 50 percent, according to the minister. However, the police union has raised alarms over the strain on federal police forces. Andreas Rosskopf, chairman of the German Police Union was quoted by the Funke Media Group as saying Monday that the current level of control is only feasible due to extraordinary measures such as restructured duty rosters, suspended training, and halted overtime leave. "The police can only maintain the intensive controls for a few more weeks," Rosskopf warned. More than 1,000 riot police officers have been deployed in border regions over recent days. Rosskopf noted concerns from within the security services about long-term staffing, including whether federal police can continue supporting state authorities as before, such as during football matches and demonstrations. Criticism has also emerged at the European level. Katarina Barley, vice president of the European Parliament, has described the early impact of the controls as "very limited" and instead recommended covert, random identity checks as a more sustainable solution. "The Schengen Area is one of Europe's greatest achievements," she emphasized.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Germany wants to allow Syrian refugees to visit home
The German government wants to allow Syrian refugees to travel back to their home country for a limited time without losing their protection status in Germany , a spokeswoman of the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday. Legally, refugees can lose their asylum protection status if they visit their home country which they left in fear of persecution. Since the fall of Syrian autocrat Bashar Assad last December, Berlin has restarted diplomatic relations with Syriaand reopened its embassy in Damascus. Why is Germany making this proposal? Under the proposal, Syrians with refugee status in Germany would be allowed to go back to their home country for a period of four weeks, or two separate two-week periods. The aim of the proposal is to enable Syrians to make the decision to return voluntarily, a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior said. "To do this, people from Syria must be able to see for themselves - for example, whether [their] houses are still standing, whether their relatives are still alive and so on." Such visits are the prerequisite for enabling large numbers of refugees to return to their country, if the situation in Syria further stabilizes, the spokeswoman added. The visits should be only permitted "under certain strict conditions" and if they serve to "prepare for a permanent return" to Syria. Those who wish to use this exception would have to register their visits with the relevant immigration authorities , the spokeswoman said. CSU rejects proposal Germany's Christian Socialist Union (CSU) and its Bavarian State interior minister however reject the proposal. Bavarian State's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann described the proposed visits as "vacation trips under the guise of fact-finding trips." Herrmann argued against "uncontrolled travel" between Germany and Syria. Instead, he favored a coordinated solution within Europe rather than "national solo efforts." The CSU, which won the majority of votes in Germany's February federal election along with its partner the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is set to take over the Federal Ministry of the Interior in the upcoming government. The union plans to significantly tighten migration policies . The next day after Assad's December ouster, German authorities froze asylum proceedings from Syrian citizens, alongside several other European countries. More than 1 million Syrians, many of whom fled their homeland during the bloody civil war, live in Germany.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German police probe 8 document fraud cases among new Afghan arrivals
The German Federal Police are investigating several Afghans who entered the country with a promise of admission for possible document fraud. Preliminary investigations have been launched in eight cases for document fraud, the authorities said on Thursday evening. According to information obtained by dpa from security sources, the cases mainly involve forged or falsified documents. A plane chartered by the German government carrying 138 Afghan nationals granted admission to Germany touched down in the eastern city of Leipzig on Wednesday evening. The plane took off from Pakistan's capital Islamabad. "We can confirm that the particularly endangered persons from Afghanistan who arrived yesterday from Pakistan have been subjected to entry checks and that preliminary investigations have been initiated," a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior told the German tabloid Bild. Foreign Office: No doubts about identity "All persons on the charter flight were thoroughly checked," a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office in Berlin said. "There was no doubt about anyone's identity, because security is the top priority in these procedures." All those who entered Germany had been persecuted by the Taliban. Germany is taking in Afghans through several programmes. Until shortly before the Islamist Taliban seized power again in August 2021, Germany had soldiers in the country as part of a NATO mission. In addition to former local staff of the German Armed Forces and other German institutions and their relatives, Afghans who fear persecution by the Taliban are also to be accepted. This may be the case because they have worked as lawyers or journalists for human rights in the past.
Ya Biladi
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Morocco and Germany enhance cooperation on religious affairs
In a significant move to bolster bilateral relations in religious affairs, the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs of Morocco and Germany's Federal Ministry of the Interior signed a joint declaration of intent on Tuesday in Rabat. The declaration was formalized by Ahmed Toufiq, Morocco's Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, and Juliane Seifert, State Secretary at Germany's Federal Ministry of the Interior. «The signing of this declaration is intended to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the field of religious affairs», Toufiq announced to the press. He further emphasized that «the contents of this agreement will enter into force as soon as possible». This declaration holds particular significance for the Moroccan community residing in Germany, as well as the broader Muslim community in the country. It outlines plans for coordination and consultation on the training of religious supervisors, according to Toufiq. Juliane Seifert, representing Germany, expressed her country's eagerness to enhance cooperation with Morocco, especially in the training of imams. She praised the agreement as an important step forward in strengthening the ties between the two nations. Before the signing ceremony, Toufiq and Seifert engaged in discussions on various issues of mutual interest, exploring ways to further enhance bilateral cooperation in religious affairs.
