Germany to Loosen Rules on ‘Safe Countries of Origin’ for Migrants

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (R) and Lars Klingbeil, German Minister of Finance, Vice-Chancellor, take part in the meeting of the Federal Cabinet in the Federal Chancellery.  Credit: Kay Nietfeld/dpa

 

The German government is preparing a bill to simplify the process of determining “safe countries of origin” for migrants, a move that could limit applications for asylum.

The Tagesspiegel newspaper reported that Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Cabinet could approve the measure on Wednesday, allowing the government to make decisions in future on which countries are listed as safe.

Currently, the categorization must be approved by the Bundesrat, the German upper house of parliament.

Under German asylum law, “safe countries of origin” are seen as those without political persecution or inhuman punishment.

Migrants from those countries are unlikely to see their applications for asylum approved, apart from in exceptional cases.

In addition, deportations back to safe countries face fewer legal obstacles.

Germany’s new government has pledged to tackle irregular migration as one of its main priorities.

The coalition agreement between Merz’s conservative bloc and the centre-left Social Democrats set out that India, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia should first be categorized as safe countries of origin.

The label currently applies to EU member states and a short list of other countries.

In Eastern Europe, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, Georgia and Moldova are all deemed safe, along with Senegal and Ghana in western Africa.