With its Greek counterparts from the of Citizen Protection and the sub. The German Minister of Immigration is expected to have critical meetings. Interior Nancy Fezer in the next few days in Greece, where she will go on Monday, December 2 and Tuesday, December 3, as announced on Friday by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foreign.

As mentioned by the representative of the German Ministry of Interior Minister Maximilian Kahl will focus on the Common European Asylum System, which the EU agreed to “after long negotiations”. Its implementation, and in fact immediately, is “important” for Germany, given the pressures the country receives mainly from so-called secondary immigration. Germany is also in the run-up to a snap election on February 23, with the minority government of Olaf Scholz trying to close major deals at the last minute.

For the German sub. Internal, as was also evident in yesterday’s government briefing, the main points on which the Common European Asylum System focuses are: the improvement of controls, registration and distribution of asylum seekers as well as the improvement of the protection of the EU’s external borders .

“Focus” on rule of law and living conditions

After a question regarding the recent shipwreck in the Aegean and the criticism leveled in Greece for the conditions in the refugee centers, mainly on the islands, Maximilian Kahn stated that one of the topics of the visit of the minister Respect for the conditions of humanitarian law as well as the rule of law in the Greek refugee centers will also be internal. ΄

In the past, the German government, like the EU, had harshly criticized Greece both for the alleged illegal pushbacks in the Aegean and also for the living conditions in refugee centers, which were even the subject of relevant court decisions in Germany, blocking thus returns to Greece.

And the recent visit of the German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the refugee structure of Malakasa accompanied by the minister. Migration of Nikos Panagiotopoulos was episodic. Although it was a crucial part of the official programme, it ended all too soon due to the tension in the refugee centre, with asylum seekers chanting: “Identity, identity!” and “Germany, Germany!”.

What Fezer and Panagiotopoulos had said

Responding to a question from DW in September, in the context of the Berlin Process for the Western Balkans, the German minister Interior Nancy Feser had stated:

“For us it is important to talk as equal European partners with Greece about how we can on the one hand safeguard the external borders of the EU – this is very important especially in relation to Frontex operations.

On the other hand, it is important to talk with Greece about how people who have applied for asylum in Greece and come to Germany will be able to return to Greece,” he continued, adding that the German government has a “very good relationship” with the Greek government. regarding these issues and that this “will continue”.

In fact, Nancy Fezer added at the time that she herself had not criticized Greece for its immigration management.

For his part, in the same context, the Greek sub. Immigration Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos speaking from Berlin to journalists had mentioned among other things:

“Criticism has been leveled against Greece, but on the other hand, the country’s effort to create structures and procedures is recognized, in order to manage immigration as a country of first reception, but also as a country through which someone who illegally enters European territory wants to pass, because the final destination for the vast majority of all of them was and is Germany”.