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Hendrik Wüst, the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, is advocating for a high-level migration summit with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the beginning of the new year. "It's crucial that we have an asylum summit with the Chancellor soon — either in January or February at the latest," Wüst told Bild am Sonntag. The summit would involve the heads of government from the federal states and the federal government, reviewing the effectiveness of current measures to combat irregular migration and making adjustments if necessary.
Last November, Scholz and the 16 federal state leaders reached an agreement after prolonged disputes over refugee cost distribution and anti-irregular migration measures. At that time, Wüst had been pushing for asylum procedures outside of Europe. He has now reiterated this demand: "Exploring asylum procedures beyond Europe, such as third-country solutions and a binding regulation for countries with low protection quotas, is paramount," Wüst emphasized.
As a Christian Democrat, Wüst contends that Germany cannot eradicate global poverty with its asylum law and must consider alternative approaches. Nevertheless, Wüst remains hopeful that the incoming migration summit will address these issues effectively. In the past, he had advocated for asylum procedures outside of Europe and reaffirms his stance as the debate on migration and refugee distribution in Europe continues.
Additional Insights
Recent migration policies and summits have focused on stricter border controls, improving asylum policies, and addressing public safety concerns. In November, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced a 37% decrease in asylum applications and a 25% drop in unauthorized border crossings following the implementation of temporary border controls and accelerated returns of unauthorized migrants. Furthermore, the government has underscored the importance of coordinating with EU partners to forge harmonized asylum policies and ensure compliance with international law.
However, the proposed migration summit has yet to reveal its specific details. The summit will likely aim to achieve a political consensus on migration policies, engaging the ruling Social Democrats, the opposition Christian Democrats, and other parties in constructive dialogue.
With security concerns escalating, any upcoming summit to address migration and asylum seeker issues will prioritize managing migrants to prevent further incidents, such as the knife attack in Bavaria and the car-ramming attack in Munich. These incidents have raised public safety concerns, driving the political discourse and emphasizing the need for a comprehensive and effective migration policy.
