Government Official Desires to Digitally Document All Refugees Digitally Recording Refugees is Sought by Minister Strobl
In a bid to streamline asylum screening procedures within the Common European Asylum System (GEAS), Germany is spearheading a digitalization drive as part of broader migration management initiatives. This move underscores Germany's leading role in the digitalization of migration processes, including visa applications and related procedures.
Recently, Germany launched the Consular Services Portal, an e-platform designed to digitize national visa applications, simplifying processes such as employment, study, and family reunification visas. This digitalization push aligns with EU-wide digital border initiatives like the European Entry/Exit System (EES), which records non-EU travelers' biometric data and travel details at external borders. The EES is gradually being implemented, with a planned full rollout by the end of 2025 across member states, including Germany.
However, digitalizing asylum screening within GEAS presents unique challenges. The asylum procedure, particularly the screening phase of asylum claims, is complex and requires integration of legal frameworks, data privacy, and administrative coordination across national and EU levels. Key issues include ensuring data interoperability between national platforms and EU systems, addressing privacy and legal safeguards in managing sensitive asylum seeker information, and harmonizing digital workflows amid variations in asylum procedure fast-tracking and prioritization.
Despite these challenges, Germany's digital migration tools are under development and expected to expand. However, specific digital solutions for asylum screening are still in pilot or early phases, requiring further progress to meet the GEAS objectives of harmonized, efficient, and secure asylum processing.
The Interior Ministers' Conference (IMK) has discussed the implementation of the GEAS, and new legal regulations and changes in administrative procedures are needed to facilitate its implementation. The IMK has also called for the federal government to present a concept soon to meet the EU requirement within a year.
The initial registration of personal data, or "screening," is crucial in Germany's initial reception facilities. The Ministry of Justice in Baden-Württemberg agrees with the digitization of procedures and the retention of established procedures in the states for arrival, registration, and examination. The mandatory screening for refugees includes name, date of birth, nationality, health check information, vulnerability check, asylum application status, and database query results.
Historically, many refugees have tended to file asylum applications only after arriving in Germany. The Interior Ministry of Baden-Württemberg demands that EU databases for security checks during screening be accessible to immigration and initial reception authorities.
As the implementation of the GEAS moves forward, the debate over digitalization in the public sector and the police continues. Ralf Kusterer, head of the German Police Union, questions Thomas Strobl's efforts in digitalization, while Strobl, who has been responsible for both Interior and Digitalization since 2016, advocates for the digitization of procedures from the start.
For more information, contact Jennifer Reich at j.reich@ourwebsite.
In summary, Germany is actively advancing digitalization in migration and border control as part of the GEAS framework, including adopting EU systems like EES and launching national e-platforms. Yet, fully digitalizing asylum screening procedures remains a work in progress, challenged by technical integration needs, legal complexities of asylum processing, and coordination within the multilayered EU asylum system.
[1] Consular Services Portal [2] European Entry/Exit System [3] Implementation of the European Entry/Exit System in Germany [4] Digitalization of Asylum Procedures in Germany [5] Fast-track Procedures for Asylum Seekers in Germany
- The Consular Services Portal, an e-platform launched by Germany, is aimed at digitizing national visa applications, including employment, study, and family reunification visas, aligning with broader EU-wide digital border initiatives like the European Entry/Exit System (EES).
- As the digitalization of asylum procedures in Germany progresses, key challenges include ensuring data interoperability between national platforms and EU systems, addressing privacy and legal safeguards in managing sensitive asylum seeker information, and harmonizing digital workflows amid variations in asylum procedure fast-tracking and prioritization.
