Key points
- Federal Ministry of Interior has made this decision
- UNHCR confirms suspension: DPA News
- Germany is 3rd largest host country for refugees
ISLAMABAD: Germany has suspended the admission of refugees through a United Nations programme, as a new conservative-led coalition government prepares to take office.
According to Reuters, the Federal Ministry of the Interior made this decision as negotiations between the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) continue, with both parties likely to agree on a stricter migration and asylum policy.
The German DPA news agency also reported that both the Interior Ministry and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) confirmed the suspension.
Migration has been a contentious issue in Germany, the third-largest host country for refugees globally, with 2.5 million refugees, including over one million from Ukraine. However, an increasing number of German voters are advocating for the country to accept fewer migrants.
Attacks attributed to refugees
Immigration and asylum were central topics in the run-up to February’s German elections, in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) doubled its vote share, partly due to several violent attacks attributed to refugees or asylum seekers.
The issue has remained a point of discussion in the coalition negotiations between the CDU and SPD, with the CDU pushing for asylum seekers to be turned away at Germany’s borders if they have already passed through a safe country.
The two sides have reached a preliminary agreement to end voluntary federal admission programmes for refugees, such as the UN programme – the only one currently active – and not to launch any new ones, according to Al Jazeera.
Since 2016, Germany has participated in a European Union resettlement scheme, accepting refugees selected by the UNHCR. Most of these refugees come from Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, or Kenya.
Current admissions
The Interior Ministry stated that 4,711 people had arrived in Germany through the programme since 2024, out of the 13,000 refugees Germany has pledged to take in for 2024 and 2025 combined.
Despite the suspension, admissions that are already well advanced, with concrete commitments, will proceed, a ministry spokesperson confirmed, according to Al Jazeera.
On Monday, Germany announced that it no longer held the top spot in the European Union for new asylum applications. Local media reported that, according to EU data, France and Spain had surpassed Germany in this regard.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser remarked that the latest figures reflected measures taken to curb “irregular migration to Europe as a whole, as well as to Germany itself.”
