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.

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 essential 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 assert in their declaration. So far, the departure of rejected asylum seekers to these two countries is associated with high hurdles.

Early in the morning, for the first time in almost a year, a deportation flight with 81 Afghan offenders from Germany to Afghanistan took off. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) welcomed the step. "Europe is finally getting tougher and more consistent. We must continue to consistently remove offenders and threats from the country," Karner demanded in a statement sent to APA. It requires "strong European axes to prevent illegal migration and to consistently deport offenders to their countries of origin." With Dobrindt, the host of the meeting at the Zugspitze, Austria has a "strong partner to further advance our tough but fair asylum policy at the European level."

Dobrindt Announces Joint Initiative on Deportations

The interior ministers invited to the conference agreed to ensure "more speed" and no longer allow lengthy review procedures, Dobrindt said on Friday after the meeting at the Zugspitze. With a "migration system at the European level," smuggler and trafficking gangs are also to be combated more strongly. "The EU is an open region, and we remain an open region," emphasized Dobrindt. "But we do not want criminal smuggler gangs to decide who comes to our region." This signal should be sent from the Zugspitze "far beyond Germany."

One topic is likely to be the recently tightened controls at Germany's EU internal borders and the rejection of asylum seekers there. Austria welcomed the step, while Poland recently ordered controls of border traffic in response but also advocated for mutual renunciation of such controls.

In addition to Dobrindt, Karner, and Brunner, the interior ministers from France (Bruno Retailleau), Poland (Tomasz Siemoniak), the Czech Republic (Vít Rakušan), as well as the Danish Minister for Migration and current EU Council President (Kaare Dybvad Bek) will travel to Germany's highest mountain.

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" in Europe as well. The EU Commission's proposals revolve around better external border protection and how to make returns more efficient and also how to cooperate with third countries, he told Bayerischer Rundfunk. The goal is to conclude return agreements with the states. Europe has much 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," 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. 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 required to leave, all "serious and most serious offenders," said Dobrindt 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 offenders. After acts of violence in Mannheim and Solingen, the traffic light government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced last summer that deportations to Afghanistan would be 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, especially because of their disregard for human and particularly 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 the detour of 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 spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office, Ravina Shamdasani, pointed to ongoing human rights violations in Afghanistan, such as executions or the suppression 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 summit 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 AFP news agency. It is more important to "modernize German migration policy and strengthen integration." A restrictive asylum policy and deterrence do not advance Europe.

(APA/Red)

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