Germany has warned EU governments not to follow the British approach in setting refugee targets. Afghanistan Relocated to the union, claiming that it will serve as a pulling factor.
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said that although Austria and other countries are unwilling to develop a common EU asylum policy, the EU should not take the risk of a new immigration crisis.
“I think it would be unwise if we talk about numbers here, because the numbers will obviously trigger a pulling effect, and we don’t want that,” Sihofer said before the meeting of EU interior ministers and justice ministers.
The subsequent EU joint statement reached by the ministers at the Brussels meeting emphasized the intention to avoid “the recurrence of uncontrolled large-scale illegal immigration” and ensure that “the situation in Afghanistan does not pose a new security threat to EU citizens.”
Since 2015, after welcoming tens of thousands of refugees from Syria, the Angela Merkel government has been facing attacks from the right wing of German politics and expressed “We did it” (We can manage it).
According to UNHCR, European countries now host more than 1 million Syrian asylum seekers and refugees, 70% of which are hosted in two countries: Germany (59%) and Sweden (11%)
The outgoing German Chancellor never said she had any regrets about the decision six years ago, but some people within Merkel’s CDU who were scrambling to replace her took a tougher stance on immigration. Armin Laschet, the leader of the CDU party, recently warned against “repeat the mistakes of 2015”.
The Boris Johnson government stated that the UK’s Afghan Citizens Resettlement Program aims to allow 5,000 Afghans to settle in the country by the end of this year, and the long-term goal is to resettle a total of 20,000 Afghans in the next five years. The prime minister said that Britain has “gratitude” to repay those Afghans who have worked with NATO powers to reform the country.
On Monday, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn risked angering the German government and suggested that the EU follow suit. He has stated that the EU should set a target of resettling 40,000 to 50,000 refugees.
“It’s not just Britain that promised 20,000 settlements,” Asselborn said. “Europe must also move in this direction. In 2015, the Syrian crisis, the EU faced problems, and we were not prepared. This is very clear. Six years later, we are not as prepared to face this problem as in 2015. It is terrible to say that. .
He added: “For those at higher risk in Afghanistan, Europe must not just be the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has pledged to provide resettlement for 20,000 people.” “What about the European Union? Even if the numbers cannot be given today, we should at least open the door [European] The committee can take action. “
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, encouraged the 27 EU member states to coordinate on refugee resettlement issues. She suggested that those governments that “come forward” can apply for financial assistance.
At the end of the Brussels Ministerial Conference, Immigration Commissioner Ylva Johansson stated that she would meet next month with politicians from countries inside and outside the EU who are willing to host refugees-but added that a goal would not be set up. “No one can say any numbers-first of all, it is very difficult to get people out of Afghanistan, but we didn’t set that number and goal,” she said.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz stated that his government will not accept any new refugees. He claims that Austria has found a home for 40,000 Afghans in recent years, a number he described in a recent interview as a “disproportionately huge contribution.”
Sihofer stated that he hoped to persuade the Austrian government to cooperate with other EU governments, but severely condemned the Luxembourg counterpart’s proposal.
“Mr. Asselborn should pay more attention to the problems of EU powers,” Sihofer said. “We are not talking about hundreds of people, but about thousands of people who are already in Germany. We have to make sure that we know this from the past, we know who enters the country, and that these people do not pose a security risk for the German people. service.”
He added: “After all, Luxembourg’s representation on these matters is always very small. They should consider the interests of the countries that mainly accept them.”
