Asylum “Germany Pact” is on the horizon! Tough changes are coming

Moin.de Asylum “Germany Pact” is on the horizon! Tough changes are coming Article by Marcel Görmann • 16 hours There is movement in the asylum debate in Germany! The “Germany Pact” between the traffic light coalition and the Union could become reality. Chancellor Olaf Scholz introduced the term into the debate during a speech in the Bundestag. The aim is to modernize the country with the cross-camp “Germany Pact”. Opposition leader Friedrich Merz is fundamentally open - but prioritizes asylum policy first. Scholz seems ready to curb illegal migration. He now told the “Editorial Network Germany” (RND) that the number of asylum seekers is currently too high. The head of government recognizes the need for action, as does the Union and coalition partner FDP. An overview of what is now being discussed – and could happen. Asylum: These are the demands and ideas that matter Border controls: Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has now increased mobile border controls on the borders with Poland and the Czech Republic. However, the Union vehemently calls for stationary border controls such as those at the borders with Austria and Switzerland. As does the SPD-governed state of Brandenburg. There is speculation in Berlin about whether Scholz could appoint a new interior minister after Faeser's crushing defeat in the state elections in Hesse. The minister is currently acting very unhappy. In this way, he could also initiate a change of course in terms of personnel. The argument against this is that the first candidate for the post would be SPD leader Saskia Esken – a left-wing party member. New safe countries of origin: After long debates, the traffic light coalition will declare the EU accession candidates Moldova and Georgia to be safe countries of origin. The Greens are opposed to declaring the Maghreb states of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria safe countries of origin. Such a demand comes particularly from the FDP and the Union. There is still no agreement in sight here. The stricter asylum course is putting the green party base to the test anyway. Also exciting: Denmark as an asylum role model? The dark side of this policy No more cash, cuts, faster deportations? No more cash: FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr has proposed that asylum seekers should no longer be paid cash in the future. The federal states already have the legal option to hand out benefits in kind or payment cards, for example for the supermarket, instead of money. Dürr demands that the prime ministers should agree on this because monetary payments are a “pull factor”, i.e. attract more asylum seekers to Germany. The leadership of the CDU is also in favor of prepaid cards so that no money can be transferred to their home countries. It is questionable, however, whether this would create a lot more bureaucracy - especially for the municipalities, which are already at their limits in many places. Cutting social benefits: The latest asylum proposal from CDU leader Wolfgang Schäuble aims in a similar direction. The former Federal President now suggested to “Zeit Online” that social benefits in Germany for asylum seekers should be reduced. The goal must be “a uniform, European level”. “If we offer a higher level of social benefits, we shouldn’t be surprised that people try to come to Germany if possible,” said Schäuble. Return centers: Asylum procedures should be accelerated. Rejected applicants should be taken to return centers so that they cannot go into hiding, according to another demand from a paper by CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann and CDU/CSU parliamentary secretary Thorsten Frei. Politics must “dare to explore new possibilities. And also discover that the measures taken so far have not been enough to remedy the loss of control that has obviously occurred.” Former Federal President Joachim Gauck on “berlin Direkt” (ZDF) Asylum seekers should get into work more quickly End work bans: The traffic light parties SPD, Greens and FDP want asylum seekers to have faster and less bureaucratic access to the labor market. There are also corresponding demands from business. So far there has been a ban on work for at least the first three months, and in some cases significantly longer. So something can be done quickly here. The obligation to take up charitable work, on the other hand, does not seem to be able to gain a majority in the traffic light. A corresponding initiative came from the Union. Upper limit: In the middle of the Bavarian state election campaign, Markus Söder reissued the old CSU hit of an upper limit of a maximum of 200,000 asylum seekers per year. But not only from the traffic lights, but also from the Union, there is rejection of rigid upper limits that are incompatible with the individual right to asylum. So there will be no upper limit.