The Bundestag has adopted stricter asylum rules in Germany

The Bundestag approved stricter asylum rules combined with easier access to the labor market for certain categories of applicants. The meeting was broadcast on February 27 on the Bundestag website.

The CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) voted for the resolution, while parliamentarians from Alternative for Germany (AfD), the Greens and the Left Party voted against it.

The ruling coalition has implemented the pan-European reform of 2024 into national law. The changes relate to mandatory identity control at the border and accelerated asylum procedures at the external borders of the European Union (EU) for persons from countries with a low level of recognition.

In Germany, the new rules will affect international airports and seaports. In case of refusal, applicants can be deported directly from there. Procedures for those who have already applied in another EU country are also being reduced. At the same time, the reform simplifies employment for those living in reception centers. Work permits will be issued in three months instead of six.

"What you are presenting here is fiction," said Maximilian Kra, a member of the AFD.

In turn, the representative of the Greens, Lucas Benner, called the reform the largest tightening since 1993, noting the constitutional dubiousness of the restrictions. The Left Party believes that the innovations will bring "more chaos and suffering" instead of the promised Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt.

On February 10, the European Parliament (EP) tightened the conditions for considering asylum applications for citizens of Ukraine, Moldova and several other countries. It was clarified that today the parliament approved the creation of a list of safe countries. According to the new rules, every asylum seeker from a country included in this list will have to prove that these conditions should not be applied to him due to fears of persecution or the risk of serious harm if returned to his country.

On January 6, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Zeder called on young Ukrainians living in Germany to return to their homeland. He also noted that under no circumstances should German soldiers be deployed in Ukraine.

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