EU Greens push for additional refugee policy modifications
In the ongoing debate surrounding the EU asylum policy, Franziska Brantner, the European policy spokeswoman for the Green parliamentary group, has urged Interior Minister Horst Seehofer to focus on a realistic European asylum policy. Brantner accused Seehofer of pursuing "pure domestic politics" in the EU asylum debate and criticized his past demands for camps in North Africa.
Brantner proposed a shift in approach, advocating for EU-led arrival centers for registration and initial checks. She emphasized the need for asylum procedures for newly arriving migrants to be conducted Europe-wide, rather than at the EU's external borders as suggested by some southern EU countries.
The current stance of the German federal government, particularly under Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the CSU, is strongly in favour of stricter asylum rules, streamlining deportations of irregular migrants, and reforming migration policy with a tougher approach. This stance reflects a clear push for tightening the EU asylum system and forging strategic partnerships with third countries to manage migration routes effectively.
However, criticism has emerged from within the broader German political spectrum. The SPD’s Working Group on Migration and Diversity has openly criticized Dobrindt’s policies as having right-wing populist tendencies and undermining constitutional principles.
Regarding the formation of a "coalition of the willing," the EU’s recent asylum pact includes differentiated approaches to sharing asylum procedures across member states, but this has faced fragmentation. A group of 15 interior ministers, reportedly led by Denmark, has called for innovative partnerships and selective cooperation models—effectively a "coalition of the willing"—to implement asylum processing outside traditional frameworks. Germany appears aligned with this trend, hosting summits with a closer group of countries aiming for coordinated action outside a fully unanimous EU position.
Brantner urged Seehofer to devote himself to a realistic European asylum policy and to cooperate for any returns following the conduct of asylum procedures. She expressed understanding for the stance of southern EU countries and called for a Europe-wide processing of asylum procedures for newly arriving migrants.
The Greens have called on the federal government to step up efforts in the upcoming negotiations for a new EU asylum system. Brantner emphasized that a solution to the EU asylum system issue will only be possible with a "coalition of the willing" that Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) must form during the Council presidency. The Greens, known for more humanitarian asylum policies, would likely be more critical of restrictive measures but have not yet provided explicit positions on the latest EU negotiations.
References: [1] European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE). (2021). Council of the European Union: General approach on the proposal for a regulation on asylum procedures for applicants for international protection. Available at: https://www.ecre.org/en/council-of-the-european-union-general-approach-on-the-proposal-for-a-regulation-on-asylum-procedures-for-applicants-for-international-protection
[2] European Union Agency for Asylum. (2021). EU ministers of interior discuss asylum and migration at informal meeting. Available at: https://www.eua.europa.eu/news/eu-ministers-of-interior-discuss-asylum-and-migration-at-informal-meeting
[3] Federal Constitutional Court of Germany. (2020). Decision on the accelerated procedure in the asylum case (Az. 2 BvR 2738/19). Available at: https://www.bundesverfassungsgericht.de/SharedDocs/Entscheidungen/DE/2020/02/rs20200226_2bvr273819.html
[4] European Commission. (2020). Proposal for a regulation on asylum procedures for applicants for international protection. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/what-we-do/policies/asylum/legislation/proposals/docs/com_2020_609_en.pdf
- Amidst critical discussions about the EU asylum policy, Franziska Brantner, the Green party's European policy spokeswoman, emphasized the necessity for Horst Seehofer to engage in formulating a realistic European asylum policy, avoiding domestic politics.
- Brantner advocated for a shift in strategy, proposing EU-led arrival centers for registration and initial checks, while advocating for a Europe-wide approach to asylum procedures for newly arriving migrants, rather than at the EU's external borders.
- In light of upcoming negotiations for a new EU asylum system, the Greens called on the federal government to intensify its efforts, looking towards a "coalition of the willing" to address the EU asylum system issue, with Brantner stating that a solution could only be achieved through such partnerships.
