In Warsaw, they say they were “not informed in any way” of the border plan. Chancellor Scholz has now spoken to Polish Prime Minister Tusk about asylum policy. Talks with other EU government leaders are also planned.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to discuss asylum policy with several European government leaders in the coming days. The chancellor will speak individually with heads of state and government of neighboring European countries “soon” to explain Germany’s plans, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said. Talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are also scheduled.
As Hebestreit later explained, the Prime Minister had already spoken by telephone with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Scholz explained the measures the federal government had initiated. The topic was also “additional considerations for reducing illegal migration within the framework of the European legal order.” Both agreed that “the problem of illegal migration and smuggling can only be overcome together and close cooperation between European partners is essential.”
They also agreed to strengthen protection of Europe’s external borders, “especially in light of Belarus’s cynical instrumentalization of migrants.” Scholz and Tusk therefore agreed to “continue close exchanges” on these topics.
Department of the Interior Say “annoying”
In recent days, there has been criticism, particularly from Poland and Austria, of Germany’s different approach to its external borders, which the government sees as largely due to the opposition coalition’s broad demands for a general rejection of migrants not being met at all.
“There was a bit of annoyance,” a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior said. The ministry announced on September 17 that Interior Minister Nancy Page had invited government representatives from Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Austria, Poland, Slovenia and the UK, as well as from the Western Balkan countries, as part of the “Berlin Process.” Representatives of the EU and international organizations are also expected to attend the meeting. “This year’s meeting will focus on the issues of illegal migration, human trafficking, smuggling and organized crime,” the Foreign Office said.
“A peculiar way of dealing with neighbors”
There has already been criticism from Poland in the past few days, but this is not primarily about the issue of refusal, but also about the border controls that Faeser extended to all German borders earlier this week.
Poland sees it as a burden on bilateral relations. “We were not informed in any way in advance,” Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Władysław Theophil Bartoszewski told Stern magazine. “We learned about it when the German interior minister made the decision public.”
Bartoszewski criticized this as a “rather peculiar way of dealing with a neighbor”. “You can’t surprise your neighbor with such a decision. That’s not the way to deal with a partner”, he added. The introduction of border controls would be “the end of the Schengen spirit”, he said, referring to the European area where free movement of people and goods is generally guaranteed. Polish Prime Minister Tusk on Tuesday described Germany’s actions as “unacceptable”. There was also criticism from Austria.
Federal Government: “No pressure”
Meanwhile, the federal government is not showing any signs of straining relations with Poland. “We can’t sense any strain,” said Hevestreiten, a government spokesman. Germany will also discuss its immigration policy with its European neighbors. “We are cooperating very closely with the new Polish government,” a Foreign Ministry spokesperson stressed.
The border controls on all German borders are set to begin on Monday and will initially last for six months. However, a spokesperson for the Federal Interior Ministry said that the controls on the border with Poland have been in place since October last year and that they are “cooperating closely” with Poland. “Nothing will change” for the country. The expansion from Monday will apply to Germany’s western and northern borders.
Netherlands wants to declare state of emergency
Meanwhile, the Netherlands has its own plans. The country wants to declare a state of emergency to severely restrict the entry of asylum seekers. The radical right-wing asylum minister, Marjolein Faber, has announced that parts of the asylum law will be repealed “very quickly.” The Netherlands will have the strictest asylum and immigration rules in Europe, she explained.
The country also wants to introduce stricter border controls. The asylum minister plans to limit family reunification, increase the number of deportations of delinquent and rejected asylum seekers, and reduce opportunities to appeal court decisions. The government also wants to submit an application to the European Commission to allow it to deviate from the European asylum and migration policy.
Of course, now is the time for radical change, Faber said. “We are taking steps to make the Netherlands as unattractive as possible for asylum seekers.” Tightening asylum laws is one of the priorities of the new right-wing government in The Hague, which has for the first time been joined by the radical right-wing Freedom Party (PVV), led by right-wing populist Geert Wilders.
Steinmeier warned the traffic light union.
As the migration talks between the government and the federal government have failed for the time being, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has also joined the debate. He sees the Traffic Light Union as having a duty to promote changes in migration and asylum policy. “If joint efforts fail, something must be done within the scope of what is possible to agree on,” he said in an interview. ARD Morning Magazine.
Stefan Keßler, head of the Jesuit Refugee Service in Germany, warns against mixing terrorism and crime with migration. This is “a very dangerous issue in the discussion,” he told the portal kirche-und-leben.de. After the events in Solingen and Mannheim, there is no doubt that public safety must be protected. But crime has nothing to do with flight. “They were criminals. Flight and migration are not the reasons for crime.”
Religious leaders have warned against lumping together criminals with those seeking protection from persecution, war and violence. In this sense, the debate over accepting those seeking protection is no longer about the problem, but is now being waged “only for populist, partisan political reasons.”
One of the recent triggers for the debate over immigration policy was a knife attack in Solingen allegedly carried out by a Syrian Islamist.
