The German parliament’s internal affairs committee on Wednesday passed two government draft laws for the implementation of EU reforms to the right to asylum, including one that will allow applicants to work sooner.
Another change will allow children and youths to attend school within at most two months of making an asylum application.
The number of asylum applicants in Germany has been falling since mid-2023. Initial applications fell to around 113,000 last year from almost 230,000 in 2024, with the decline attributed to stricter border checks within the EU and to the toppling of the al-Assad dynasty in Syria.
The Common European Asylum System (CEAS) was passed in May 2024, with member states required to implement it by June this year. The German parliament is to vote on the issue on Friday.
The reform stipulates identity checks and asylum procedures at EU borders for applicants from countries of origin with low likelihood of asylum being granted, with applicants deported directly at the border in the event of rejection.
Procedures for those who have made application in another EU member state are to be accelerated.
An EU solidarity mechanism will allow asylum-seekers from EU border states under extreme pressure, such as Greece and Italy, to be distributed to other member states.
Germany will not have to take in anyone this year as a result of the large number of Ukrainian refugees that have entered the country.
EU member states last week finalized a list of safe countries of origin, including Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Kosovo, Columbia, India and Bangladesh. This will allow accelerated deportation from all EU member states to these countries after the applications have first been checked.