Germany introduces stricter measures to curb migration

(Patria) - Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the 16 state governors agreed today on new, stricter measures to curb the large number of migrants arriving in Germany.

They thus reached a compromise on an issue that has become a major political problem for the government and a hot topic in society.

The new measures include accelerating asylum procedures, limiting benefits for asylum seekers, and greater financial assistance from the federal government to states and local communities dealing with the influx of people.

Speaking on Tuesday after a meeting that lasted several hours, Scholz called the agreement a "historic moment," indicating how much of a burden the issue has become for the government.

Shelters for migrants and refugees have been filling up in Germany for months, and Scholz, facing immense pressure from the opposition and other quarters to stop this trend, said that "too many are coming."

The number of new asylum applications in the current year up to the end of September was about 73 percent higher than in the same period last year, according to official statistics.

Germany has also received more than a million Ukrainians who arrived since the beginning of the Russian war in their homeland.

In recent weeks, there has been a series of government activities, including laws to facilitate the deportation of unsuccessful asylum seekers, stricter penalties for smugglers, allowing asylum seekers to start working earlier, and introducing temporary checks at the Polish, Czech, and Swiss borders.

The federal and state governments agreed early on Tuesday to change the funding system for asylum seeker costs.

Starting next year, the federal government will pay an annual flat rate of 7,500 euros for each asylum seeker, instead of the previous total annual amount of around 3.7 billion euros.

Asylum seekers should also receive at least part of their benefits as a credit on a payment card, meaning they will receive less cash in the future.

Some state governors called for a new system of processing asylum procedures outside of Germany to prevent migrants from arriving, but this measure did not pass.

However, the federal government announced that it would examine whether asylum procedures outside the EU are possible.

Among other measures, asylum procedures should be processed faster than before, and asylum applications from people coming from countries with an asylum recognition rate of less than five percent should be completed within three months.

The introduction of controls that Germany has established at its borders with Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Austria is to be extended, but the time period has not been clearly defined.

More than 250,000 people applied for asylum in Germany between January and September, compared to more than 130,000 in the same period last year.

Most asylum seekers come from Syria, Afghanistan, and Turkey, writes VOA.