Austria and Germany Want to Intensify Deportations

This is evident from a joint declaration they agreed upon on Friday during a meeting at the Zugspitze in Bavaria. The focus is on deportations to Syria and Afghanistan, better protection of the EU's external borders, and more acceptance of rejected asylum seekers by non-EU countries.

"Today's meeting sends the important signal that Europe is becoming tougher on asylum policy," said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) in a statement to the APA. "It is necessary for us to form new strong axes so that we can pursue a strict asylum course at the European level." The German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt had invited to the meeting on Germany's highest mountain. The interior ministers from France (Bruno Retailleau), Poland (Tomasz Siemoniak), the Czech Republic (Vít Rakušan), as well as the Danish Migration Minister and current EU Council President (Kaare Dybvad Bek) and EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner also participated in the discussions.

EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner also participated in the discussions. The EU plans to triple the funds for combating illegal migration. Brunner said: "The new EU budget sends a clear signal: By tripling our funds, we are putting our house in order - with effective migration management, better-protected EU external borders, and a modern security strategy. The budget not only strengthens our capacities but also makes the EU more resilient and capable of action - both internally and externally."

Enable Deportations to Syria and Afghanistan

"Effective returns are an indispensable prerequisite for trust in a balanced European migration policy," states the joint declaration. This also includes deportations to Syria and Afghanistan. These must "be possible," the ministers emphasize in their declaration. So far, the departure of rejected asylum seekers to these two countries is associated with high hurdles.

In the morning, for the first time in almost a year, a deportation flight with 81 Afghans from Germany to Afghanistan took off. Karner welcomed the step. The EU will become "tougher and more consistent. The deportations of criminals to their home countries show that Europe is ready to implement a credible asylum policy," explained Karner. Karner told the news agency Reuters that he could envision further cooperation with Germany on deportations to Afghanistan and Syria. Austria recently became the first EU country to officially deport to Syria again after about 15 years.

Dobrindt Announces Joint Initiative on Deportations

The interior ministers invited to the conference agreed to ensure "more speed" and not to allow lengthy review procedures, Dobrindt said on Friday after the meeting on the Zugspitze. With a "migration system at the European level," smuggler and trafficker gangs are also to be combated more effectively. During the joint appearance with his ministerial colleagues and Brunner, Dobrindt made it clear that more EU countries should be brought on board. At the next informal EU Council of Ministers meeting in Copenhagen, the program is to be presented to the other states.

Retailleau stated that action against irregular migration is important for democracy, as the populations demand it. Poland's Interior Minister Siemoniak said migrants were being used as a weapon. Belarus and Russia wanted to exert influence to bring migrants, he said according to interpretation. Therefore, stronger border controls are needed. According to both ministers, Dobrindt plans to visit the Polish-Belarusian border on Monday to get a picture of the situation. At the same time, he expressed the desire to return to the originally border-control-free travel in the Schengen area, to which most EU countries belong.

Siemoniak was also referring to the tightened border controls on the German side, which Interior Minister Dobrindt ordered shortly after taking office. It is not foreseeable that he will distance himself from this course. Quite the opposite. Dobrindt emphasized: "This is the policy change in Germany. This is the policy change that a new federal government has also announced."

Brunner Welcomes Tougher Approach

Migration Commissioner Brunner welcomes the tougher approach of the German government. "I find that quite positive," he said, speaking of a "turnaround in migration policy" also in Europe. The EU Commission's proposals revolve around better external border protection and how to make repatriations more efficient and also how to cooperate with third countries, he told Bayerischer Rundfunk. The goal is to conclude repatriation agreements with the states. Europe has a lot to offer: "Trade, economic cooperation, investments, but also visa policy," Brunner said. Should these states not want to cooperate, the EU could also be "a bit stricter" in return, he threatened, speaking of a "kind of migration diplomacy."

Karner also emphasized the importance of a "robust protection of the EU's external borders" and "consistent deportations" ahead of the meeting. A strong axis for a strict pact and a common European line is necessary to "reduce illegal migration to zero." Austria recently became the first EU country to officially deport to Syria again after about 15 years.

81 Afghans Deported from Germany to Afghanistan

In Germany, the first deportation flight to Afghanistan under the new black-red government took off early Friday morning. It is only the second time since the Taliban took power in August 2021 that Berlin has returned Afghan nationals to their country of origin. According to the German Interior Ministry, 81 people were on board the plane. These were Afghan men who were enforceably required to leave, all "serious and most serious criminals," Dobrindt said on the ARD "Morgenmagazin." There is "a very legitimate interest of the citizens" for such deportations.

Almost eleven months have passed since the last German deportation flight with Afghan criminals. After acts of violence in Mannheim and Solingen, the traffic light coalition under Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced last summer that deportations to Afghanistan would be made possible again.

However, the implementation remains difficult to this day: Germany does not maintain diplomatic relations with the Islamist Taliban in Kabul. They are internationally isolated, particularly due to their disregard for human rights and especially women's rights. Direct negotiations on a diplomatic level would virtually legitimize the rulers in Kabul on the international stage. Therefore, negotiations for the return of Afghans who have committed crimes here are conducted via Qatar. The Gulf emirate mediates. The current deportation flight to Kabul was carried out with a Qatar Airways aircraft.

Sharp Criticism from UNHCR and NGOs

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, sharply criticized any deportations of Afghans to their homeland. "Türk calls for an immediate halt to the forced return of all Afghan refugees and asylum seekers, especially those who face persecution, arbitrary detention, or torture upon their return," his office in Geneva stated.

The conditions on the ground are not yet suitable for returns, said Arafat Jamal, the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, Ravina Shamdasani, pointed to ongoing human rights violations in Afghanistan, such as executions or the oppression of women.

Criticism also came from Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Europe must not "distance itself from the principles of humanity and outsource its responsibility to third parties." "It seems as if the participants of the meeting want to climb another peak of inhumanity, and Austria is actively participating in the rope team," said Marcus Bachmann, Humanitarian Advisor of Doctors Without Borders Austria. He feared "more cruelty against people" and criticized that central protection standards are being "systematically undermined."

The German government's refugee commissioner, Natalie Pawlik (SPD), also expressed criticism of Dobrindt's migration policy. "We want control, order, but not a migration prevention turbo," Pawlik said according to the news agency AFP. It is more important to "modernize German migration policy and strengthen integration." A restrictive asylum policy and deterrence will not advance Europe.

(APA/Red)

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