Response from Berlin

Tones are rising and pressure is intensifying on the federal government from three states, where Christian Democrats and Greens co-govern, which immediately demand a stricter immigration policy.

The reason for North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous German state, Baden-Württemberg and Schleswig-Holstein, which are now “allied” in the Federal Council, the second federal legislative body, in which the states are represented by sending their own message to chancellor Olaf Solz for immigration.

They demand strict and fast asylum procedures at the external borders of the EU, which directly concerns both Greece and Cyprus. There, as they argue, the examination of asylum applications should begin and end there. At the same time, they are calling for faster and easier deportations of criminals in Syria and Afghanistan, while, they say, unnecessary travel to their homelands by those who have been granted protection in Germany should be scrutinized even more.

“Defenseless” German society

The states also point out that the Dublin Regulation is poorly implemented and demand, among other things, cuts in allowances, more returns to the first host countries, but also the assumption of more responsibility by the airlines – in the context of returns.

The three states also refer to the risk of a terrorist threat in Germany, following the terrorist attack in Solingen, located in North Rhine-Westphalia. “Society cannot be left defenseless,” the three states argue and call for “order, control, limits and humanity in immigration policy.”

Thousands of deportations to Turkey just around the corner?

In the meantime, according to a report by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which cites government circles and is reproduced by the n-tv network, Berlin and Ankara have reached an agreement on mass deportations to Turkey, specifically 500 people per week.

In total, more than 13,000 people are expected to leave Germany, while as the television network n-tv points out, the number of applicants who came to Germany from Turkey last year saw a significant increase due to the poor state of the Turkish economy.

According to official data, the same network points out, Turkey is the second country of origin of new arrivals, after Syria.

Only 13% of them received protection, while the majority of applicants do not have legal documents. So far, deportations to Turkey have been carried out on normal “line” flights, while in the future special deportation flights may be carried out, which Turkey initially rejected for “image” reasons, but now seems to have given the green light.

According to German media, the German government has reportedly promised Turkey an acceleration in the issuance of visas for its citizens, while the long-term goal of the Turkish government is to abolish it.