Migration is currently a central issue in politics. The prime ministers of the federal states are calling, among other things, for asylum procedures to be accelerated.
The prime ministers of the 16 federal states agreed on various demands for reforms in asylum policy before a debate in the Chancellery. On the one hand, it is about reducing the number of refugees coming to Germany and speeding up the asylum process, but on the other hand it is also about how the refugees should be dealt with.
t-online offers an overview of the most important results of the conference:
Reduce the number of refugees: “16 states agree that the number of refugees must be reduced. 16 federal states have agreed on measures that we are prepared to take together with the federal government,” said Saxony’s Prime Minister Kretschmer. The plans should be discussed in a small group with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on Friday. “It’s up to him to take that outstretched hand.”Asylum process in three months: According to the wishes of the federal states, asylum procedures for people with little prospect of staying should be processed more quickly in the future. “The federal and state governments have the common goal of legally concluding asylum procedures for nationals of states for which the recognition rate is less than five percent more quickly than before,” says a resolution agreed upon by the Prime Ministers in Frankfurt am Main. “If they don’t exist, they will create the personnel and organizational requirements for this.” The aim is to complete the asylum procedure and the legal proceedings that often follow in three months.Applications with a low chance of success first: Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) explained that the acceleration of asylum procedures should be made possible by prioritizing the processing of applications that come from people from states with a low recognition rate.Benefits in kind instead of cash: According to Kretschmer, the heads of government of the federal states agree that payment cards should be introduced for refugees. “It is important that we do not work with cash, but rather with benefits in kind,” said the CDU politician on Friday in Frankfurt am Main. The Prime Ministers met there for joint discussions. You can see large sums being transferred to the refugees’ countries of origin.European harmonization: The head of the Hesse government, Boris Rhein (CDU), as acting chairman of the Prime Minister’s Conference, said that they wanted to “harmonize social benefit standards” for asylum seekers and refugees within the European Union. In this context, however, he warned against excessive expectations, referring to the Federal Constitutional Court’s requirements for the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. According to Kretschmer, we also need return agreements and “stationary border controls in the near future.”
Because relieved about agreement
From Stephan Weil’s perspective, the countries have taken an important step towards agreement on controversial migration issues. “It cannot be taken for granted that we can say at the end of this conference: We have agreed on a substantial paper on migration issues,” said the SPD politician after the conference. “I’m extremely happy about that.”
The heads of government of the federal states are very aware of the mood among the population. “We are determined to all work together to regain the public’s trust,” said Weil. The Prime Minister’s Conference proved that despite political differences, with good will, we can come together on this issue.
