More than 800 Syrian asylum applications on hold in Luxembourg

More than 800 asylum applications from Syrian refugees are currently on hold in Luxembourg, the Home Affairs Minister Léon Gloden has said.

By the end of 2024, Luxembourg had received a total of 864 asylum applications from Syrian refugees, 400 of which were from minors, Gloden said on Thursday, in response to a written parliamentary question from déi Gréng deputy Meris Sehovic.

Gloden had announced in mid-December that Luxembourg would be temporarily suspending the processing of applications from Syrians after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Luxembourg said it would like to re-evaluate the new political situation – particularly with regard to human rights – in Syria together with the other EU member states.

However, carrying out a comprehensive assessment of the new security situation is proving difficult for the EU as fighting continues, particularly in the north of the deeply divided country. Kurdish militias are fighting there against Turkish-backed fighters, and the Turkish air force and artillery are also deployed.

Close attention is being paid in recent weeks to whether the new Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) regime will respect the rights of women or religious minorities in the country and allow them to participate in public life.

Other EU countries, such as Austria, reacted promptly to the change of power in Syria in December by announcing plans to deport refugees from the country. Nations such as Norway, Denmark and France halted the processing of Syrian asylum applications.

Home Affairs Minister Léon Gloden has said that the suspension of asylum applications depends on an assessment of the security and human rights situation in Syria © Photo credit: Laurent Sturm

Family reunification only possible to a limited extent

After the ministry’s announcement, refugee aid organisations raised the alarm. The director of the refugee advice centre Passerell, Marion Dubois, told Luxemburger Wort that Luxembourg could not “drag out asylum applications forever”.

Luxembourg was already struggling to meet the legal deadlines for asylum procedures and “this is not correct in terms of the law and also not in terms of the people who find themselves in such a stressful situation,” she said.

There is particular concern about reuniting families. The ministry has now confirmed in its parliamentary response that refugees who have already received a positive asylum decision will continue to be allowed to reunite with their families.

However, family members could be affected by the temporary suspension of asylum decisions if they are associated with a main applicant whose application is still in process.

Family members cannot take advantage of family reunification as long as the main applicant has not yet received a positive asylum decision, and that could be affected by the ministry’s decision to introduce a temporary suspension.

The ministry confirmed that there are currently 191 applications for family reunification from Syrian refugees.

EU examines easing sanctions

A delegation of political leaders from the EU, Arab states and Turkey met in Saudi Arabia at the weekend to discuss their position on Syria.

The EU had imposed sanctions against Syria in 2011 in response to the violent actions of the Assad government against the civilian population.

They included a ban on investments in the Syrian oil industry and in companies involved in the construction of new power plants to generate electricity in Syria, an import ban on crude oil from Syria, an arms embargo and other export restrictions.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan spoke out in favour of lifting the sanctions. He said that continuing them would hinder reconstruction efforts.

The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, wrote on social media platform X that the bloc would examine how sanctions could be eased. However, she added that this must be accompanied by tangible progress in a political transition that reflects Syria in all its diversity.

(with dpa)

(This article was first published by Luxemburger Wort. Translation and editing by Duncan Roberts)