Before a visit to Sicily, the Federal President emphasized the difficult situation in both countries. The refugee crisis can only be overcome together.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier sees Germany at its limit when it comes to accepting refugees. In the first half of the year, the country received more than a third of all asylum applications within the EU, and more than a million refugees from Ukraine lived in Germany.
“That’s why Germany, like Italy, is at the limit,” Steinmeier told the Italian newspaper “Corriere della Serra” before a visit to Sicily. Both countries bear great burdens. “I therefore take it seriously when I hear loud cries for help from Italy, but also from German cities,” emphasized Steinmeier.
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Germany is currently not accepting any more migrants from Italy through the voluntary solidarity mechanism because Italy refuses to take people back under the so-called Dublin procedure. Steinmeier called for a joint effort: “We all have to make an effort so that the burden remains bearable and the number of arrivals falls again.” What is needed is a fair sharing of burdens in Europe and stricter control and surveillance of Europe’s external borders.
