Denmark’s immigration minister said Germany should address migration “pull factors” and focus on deporting rejected asylum seekers.
Danish Immigration and Integration Minister Kaare Dyvvad Beg has suggested that European countries, including Germany, could emulate the country’s success in dealing with migration.
Speaking after the annual policy conference of the Christian Social Union (CSU) in Bavaria over the weekend, Mr Baeck said the number of migrants arriving in the EU in 2023 was “unsustainable” and said: “The situation is It has to change.”
Many European policymakers, such as Alexander Dobrindt of the Christian Social Union, see Denmark as a model for successful asylum policy.
In the past few years, the Scandinavian country has taken an increasingly strict approach to immigration, becoming the first EU country to declare a goal of zero asylum seekers and potentially send refugees back to Syria. It became.
focus on deportation
According to Bek, key to Denmark’s efforts to curb irregular migration is the deportation of rejected asylum seekers, resulting in a relatively small number of only 400 people currently scheduled to be returned to their home countries. It becomes.
“We have had very good experience, especially with regard to the return of people whose asylum applications have been rejected,” he said in an interview. D.W. on monday. “Those who cannot legally claim asylum (…) should return to their country of origin.”
Mr Baeck called on Germany to distinguish between people fleeing war or persecution who are in “actual need of asylum” and those who migrate for economic reasons. “I don’t think he should treat the two groups equally.”
In Germany, there are already cases in which people whose asylum applications have been rejected are ordered to leave after a short period of time. Amid growing attention to failed deportations due to legal and practical hurdles, the German government last year introduced tougher laws aimed at making deportations more effective.
Also read: What will change in Germany’s immigration policy in 2024?
outsourcing plan
Germany is also discussing the idea of processing asylum seekers in third countries such as Rwanda, an approach also first promoted by Denmark. The policy was criticized last November by the United Nations Committee against Torture, saying it could jeopardize the safety of some returnees, but Bek stressed the importance of respecting human rights in all discussions about such plans. emphasized.
Last November, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz indicated he was open to considering an Italian agreement to house asylum seekers in Albanian centers. “Such a deal (…) is possible and we will all consider it carefully,” he said.
Since then, the possibility of asylum procedures in third countries has attracted increasing attention among EU member states. Beck said. D.W. Establishing asylum centers outside the EU is now seen by many as a “sustainable solution to the migration crisis”.