One anti-refugee deal after another: Germany and the EU and their “migration partnerships”

dossier

“The meeting of the European Council on October 20th/21st becomes a isolation summit: agreements are being prepared with a number of states in Africa and Asia under the label “Migration Partnership”. Behind this lies an outsourcing and deportation policy in a neo-colonial style. Taboos based on human rights appear to have been eliminated for the EU. A draft resolution of the European Council available to PRO ASYL calls for the central Mediterranean route to also be closed after the escape route across the Aegean has been closed. Deportations from Greece to Turkey are also to be increased...“Contribution by and at Pro Asyl from October 20, 2016. See the background information in LabourNet at the bottom and here:

• Damage to “Return Hubs”: Albania rejects further deportation centers for refugees
  “Several EU states want to reach an agreement with third countries on return centers for rejected asylum seekers by the end of the year. Now Albania is waving its hand. Plans for Africa have come under massive criticism – here and there. (…) He only agreed to an agreement for refugee centers concluded with Italy before 2024 because both countries are particularly close partners, Rama explained in the interview. Italy is “our European alter ego,” he added. “But to others we say no, because centers in third countries alone are not the solution,” explained the Albanian head of government when asked whether he would agree to a request from Germany…”Report from October 5th, 2026 in Migazin 
• European Parliament passes toxic return regulation in “return hubs” in third countries – to cheers from the right: “Send them back”
  • European Parliament passes toxic deportation regulation
    "The new EU return regulation has just been passed in the European Parliament with a majority of the conservative and far-right factions. The decision in the Council - usually a formality - is still pending. (...) Wiebke Judith, legal policy spokeswoman for PRO ASYL: "The toxic deportation regulation - and with it the fantasy of many right-wing hardliners - is becoming reality. In the European Parliament, fundamental rights have been made a bargaining chip and migration policy demands from the extreme right “This not only endangers the rights of those seeking protection, but also the constitutional and democratic foundations of the European Union. Non-European deportation centers, massively expanded detention and weaker legal protection – these are ingredients for human rights violations.” (…) The regulation creates the basis for deportations to third countries to which those affected have no connection whatsoever, and thus enables deportation centers outside Europe (so-called return hubs). Significant human rights risks are consciously accepted. At the same time, the requirements for detention pending deportation and periods of detention are being expanded. What is particularly worrying is the weakening of legal protection if deportations become possible despite ongoing legal proceedings. After the final decision in the Council is still pending, the regulation still needs to be published in the Official Journal of the European Union in order to come into force. The regulation generally provides for an implementation period of twelve months. The rules for the return hubs should be directly applicable.” Press statement from June 17, 2026 from Pro Asyl 
  • Cheers: “Send them back.” Right-wing majority clears way for EU deportation centers.
    “The EU Parliament has passed stricter deportation rules with votes from Christian Democrats and right-wing extremists. Deportation centers in third countries are planned. This met with sharp criticism from the opposition and human rights organizations.
    The European Parliament has decided to significantly tighten the EU deportation rules, thereby clearing the way for deportation centers in third countries. A majority of Christian Democrats, right-wing and right-wing extremist factions, including the AfD, approved it with 418 yes votes, 218 no votes and 30 abstentions. Social Democrats, the Greens and the Left rejected this on Wednesday in Strasbourg. The vote was accompanied by cheers and whistles. After the acceptance, right-wing MPs - including German AfD MEPs - clapped and shouted "Send them back", which was answered with chants of "Shame on you". (…) The vote was preceded by a heated argument about breaking the so-called firewall in the EU Parliament. The Christian Democrats in the EPP as well as right-wing and right-wing extremist factions, including the AfD parliamentary group ESN, voted together in the parliamentary procedure. (…) “With the hasty negotiations on the return regulation, the conservatives made common cause with the right and declared the treatment of migrants a political football,” said MEP Birgit Sippel (SPD). The law does not meet basic European standards in the protection of fundamental rights. “Long mass detentions, including of families with children and unaccompanied minors, as well as house searches” are planned in order to enforce deportations. Voluntary return, on the other hand, is not sufficiently encouraged. (…) The human rights organization Pro Asyl accused the European Parliament of having “taken over the migration policy demands of the extreme right…” Report from June 17, 2026 in MiGAZIN 
• Praise from the AfD says it all: the EU clears the way for “return hubs” in third countries, and also enables Europe-wide cancellation of maintenance payments and detention pending deportation
  • Praise from the AfD: EU clears the way for deportation centers in third countries
    “The EU Parliament and member states have metnew deportation rules agreed. They allow deportation centers in third countries, longer detention pending deportation and reductions in benefits. The agreement follows controversial cooperation between the EPP and right-wing MPs - praise from the AfD.
    The European Union is clearing the way for return centers in third countries and the tightening of further asylum rules in order to enable more deportations. This provides for an agreement that representatives of the European Parliament and the governments of the member states reached in the evening, according to the Cypriot EU Council Presidency. Parliament and the EU states must now finally approve the compromise so that the new deportation rules can come into force. This is usually a formality.
    Rejected asylum seekers who cannot be returned to their countries of origin - for example because the home country refuses to take them back or the federal government does not maintain diplomatic relations with the country concerned - are supposed to go to the special return centers ("return hubs") outside the European Union. (…)
    A legal basis for outsourcing the entire asylum procedure as in the Rwanda model - not just deportation to a third country - was decided in the EU at the end of last year.
    Europe-wide cancellation of maintenance payments possible
    The agreement also specifies how rejected asylum seekers must participate in their own deportation if they do not want to be arrested. They are also threatened across Europe with the reduction or cancellation of maintenance benefits or the confiscation of travel documents. Detention pending deportation is also possible…”Contribution by Niklas Treppner and Valeria Nickel from June 2nd, 2026 in Migazin , see also:
  • After agreement on return centers: praise and criticism for the stricter EU migration course
    “The EU is continuing its strict course on migration policy and is triggering different reactions. For some supporters, the agreement reached was long overdue, but critics say it is a shameful development…”Report from June 2nd, 2026 on tagesschau.de 
  • PRO ASYL on the planned conclusion of the trilogue negotiations for an EU return regulation today
    “The trilogue negotiations between the Council of the EU, the European Parliament and the EU Commission on the planned EU return regulation are to be concluded today, June 1st. Already on May 21st one wasextensive political agreement The question is still outstanding as to when the regulations will come into force.PRO ASYL warns against a further dismantling of constitutional guarantees and a systematic disenfranchisement of those seeking protection. In the center of theCriticism from PRO ASYLThese include the planned expansion of deportation detention, so-called return hubs outside the EU and increased cooperation between conservative parties and the extreme right in the European Parliament…”Press statement from June 1st, 2026 
  • The new bad word: “Return Hubs”
    “The EU has decided to set up “return centers” in countries outside the EU. What's behind it…”Topic of the day in the Correctiv newsletter from June 2nd, 2026 
• EU Commissioner wants to combat migration with visa sanctions: EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner wants to punish third countries with sanctions if they do not consistently prevent people from fleeing to Europe 
  "... EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner wants to rely more on the carrot and stick principle when working with third countries on migration issues. "The EU has levers such as visa policy, trade and development cooperation, which we must use as strategic instruments in the interests of Europe," said Brunner in an interview with the German Press Agency. He referred to conflicts with states that had not done enough to combat so-called “irregular” migration in the past. “We then imposed visa sanctions against a state and suddenly it worked.” The Austrian commissioner speaks of “migration diplomacy”. Many countries want visa relief with the EU because they hope this will bring concrete benefits for their economy. (…)
  Visa policy is not only intended to reduce “irregular” migration, it is also intended to provide opportunities for hands-on people and clever minds. “We have to become more flexible, faster and more digital, for example for skilled workers and scientists,” said Brunner. (…) For Brunner, however, the order of priorities is clear: “If we give our citizens the feeling again that we have illegal migration under control, then we can also talk better about legal migration” (…)
  In political parlance, “illegal” or “irregular” migration is also misleadingly used to describe refugee movements of people seeking protection. Because safe and legal escape routes are often lacking, many have no other option than to initially cross borders without valid documents in order to assert their internationally guaranteed right to asylum. From a legal perspective, this is not an “illegal” act, but rather the exercise of a guaranteed right. (…) In order to further ease the migration situation in the EU, Brunner wants to prevent asylum seekers from the often fatal escape routes across the Mediterranean and to expand cooperation with third countries. For example, special centers are being planned along refugee routes – called “multi-purpose centers” in a strategy paper presented this week. (…)
  Brunner expressed reservations about another controversial topic in German domestic politics. Germany's border controls are a temporary option that the member state has. “Our concern is of course that we move away from these internal border controls as quickly as possible,” said the EU Commissioner. Brussels is in contact with both Chancellor Friedich Merz (CDU) and Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU). In Brunner's opinion, the upcoming reforms in EU migration policy should ensure that Germany's situation is different. “This should, of course, gradually lead to a lifting of border controls,” said Brunner.” Article by Niklas Treppner from February 1, 2026 in MiGAZIN 
• Return Hubs: Five EU countries are preparing deportation centers in third countries - deportation camps outside the rule of law
  • Return Hubs: EU states are preparing deportation centers in third countries
    “Five EU countries want to set up deportation centers outside the EU. A working group is expected to initiate agreements with third countries this year. Human rights organizations criticize the plans.
    Five EU states are preparing to set up deportation centers in third countries. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) said on Thursday after a meeting with partner countries on the sidelines of the EU Interior Ministers' meeting in Nicosia that a corresponding working group had been set up. The aim is to develop a roadmap and conclude agreements with third countries to set up so-called return hubs this year. According to Dobrindt, Germany, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Greece are taking part in the working group. The initiative could later be expanded to other member states. The EU Commission is closely involved, but the political responsibility lies with the states involved, the minister emphasized…”Article by Marlene Brey from January 22nd, 2026 in Migazin 
  • PRO ASYL to deportation centers (“return hubs”) outside the EU
    “A comment from PRO ASYL on the news that Germany, together with some other EU countries, is preparing deportation centers (“return hubs”) outside the EU.
    Wiebke Judith, legal policy spokeswoman for PRO ASYL: "The fact that the British Rwanda deal failed and Italian outsourcing models were stopped by the courts does not seem to impress Interior Minister Dobrindt. With the so-called return hubs, the federal government is planning nothing other than deportation camps outside of the rule of law: blanket detentions, lack of access to legal protection, lack of transparency and the lack of democratic control lead to the systematic disenfranchisement of those affected. There should be no such There are 'law-free zones' outside the EU. This 'out of sight, out of mind' policy is not migration management, but puts human lives at risk.”“Press statement from January 22, 2026 from Pro Asyl 
• Deportation Centers: The Uganda Plan. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and his EU counterparts want to accommodate rejected asylum seekers outside Europe. 
  "... There has been bitter debate about this for years, now the project could become reality for the first time in 2026: deportation centers for migrants outside the EU. In December, negotiators from the member states and the European Parliament agreed on the legal basis for so-called return hubs: states to which rejected asylum seekers from Europe who are obliged to leave the country are to be deported - for example in East Africa. (...) The starting point is Europe's record on deportations: only 27 percent of all rejected asylum seekers were in the A common reason is that the responsible country does not want to take back its citizens or is making the conditions more difficult, for example when it comes to issuing travel documents. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, there are more than 132,000 people in Germany whose asylum status has been legally rejected enable a safe third country, ideally close to the country of origin, from there the migrants could either be deported, stay long-term or return voluntarily to their home country. (…) So far, deportations to a third country have failed due to a legal requirement: under EU law, people were only allowed to be brought to a country to which they have a connection - for example because they have lived there in the meantime or have family members there The formal decision should be made soon.According to a report in the Bild newspaper from mid-December, the federal government already has initial ideas about which countries it could cooperate with: for example Uganda or Tunisia. When asked by ZEIT, a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior neither wanted to confirm nor deny this; they are currently “in the process of being able to set up return hubs,” they say. (…) Migration researcher Judith Kohlenberger is skeptical as to whether compliance with human rights can be guaranteed locally. “If compliance with human rights standards is not possible in EU countries like Hungary and Greece, how is that supposed to work in a far-away country in Africa?” says Kohlenberger, who heads the Research Institute for Migration and Refugee Research and Management (FORM) in Vienna...” Analysis by Kaja Klapsa from January 13, 2026 in Zeit online (“Deportation centers: The Uganda plan”) – a bit too uncritical.
• EU migration policy: Right-wing work, Germany's contribution. EU interior ministers agree on tightening asylum laws 
  • Okay for the Rwanda model: EU Parliament gives the green light for outsourcing asylum procedures
    “The EU Parliament has agreed to tighten asylum laws. It is intended to enable the relocation of asylum procedures to third countries - an approach known as the Rwanda model. AfD MPs voted. The EU Parliament has voted on its position on two key asylum laws. A spokesman announced this on Wednesday in Strasbourg. In the future, asylum seekers could be taken to so-called “safe third countries” where they have never lived before – known as the Rwanda model. There should also be a common European list of “safe countries of origin”, which would significantly disadvantage asylum seekers from countries such as Morocco, Tunisia or Egypt in asylum procedures and access to the labor market…”Contribution by Marlene Brey from December 17th, 2025 in Migazin 
  • EU interior ministers agree on tightening asylum laws
    "... Deport more and faster, distribute those seeking protection and solidarity contributions: The EU states are reaching far-reaching agreements on crucial issues of migration policy. The member states announced this at a meeting of European interior ministers in Brussels. The European Parliament still has to approve the proposals. People whose asylum applications have been rejected should be obliged to actively participate in their return. If they do not immediately present documents for their identification when requested, they must expect penalties. They should also be accessible to the authorities If cooperation is refused, there will be consequences - such as reductions in benefits or a longer entry ban. According to the EU states, stricter rules should also apply to people who are classified as a security risk. This means that return centers in third countries outside the EU should also be possible Deportation notices that were issued in one EU country should also apply in other member states. Germany and other countries did not want to make the recognition of the decisions of other EU states mandatory (…) According to the agreement reached on Monday, 21,000 people seeking protection will initially be relocated in order to relieve EU states that are particularly under pressure.In addition, less burdened EU countries should provide 420 million euros as part of the solidarity mechanism. (…) It initially remained unclear what contributions Germany or other countries would now have to make in accordance with the agreement. According to an analysis by EU Interior Commissioner Magnus Brunner, the Federal Republic can rely on the fact that it is already taking care of a large number of asylum seekers for whom other EU states would actually be responsible. Other solidarity contributions such as cash or benefits in kind would therefore not be necessary from the German side. Theoretically, these can be provided by EU states that are obliged to provide support and do not want to accept refugees. (…) The ministers reached further agreement on the definition of (additional) safe countries of origin and on the requirements for safe third countries. In order to be able to deport people more quickly to the North African countries of Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, these should be declared safe countries of origin. Kosovo, Colombia and the South Asian states of India and Bangladesh are also to be added to the list according to the will of the member states. In principle, countries that are candidates for EU membership should also be considered safe. These would then include Albania, Montenegro or Turkey. (…) It was only on Friday that the Federal Cabinet passed a draft law in order to be able to determine safe countries of origin in the future without the consent of the Federal Council. (…) In addition to safe countries of origin, there is also the concept of safe third countries. It is intended to relieve the burden on the European asylum system by deporting people to non-EU countries to await their asylum procedure there.(…) Those seeking protection can therefore also be deported to countries they have never been to and to which they have no family, cultural or other ties. Unaccompanied minors are exempt from this. The Left party, lawyers' associations such as the New Judges' Association (NRV), the Republican Lawyers' Association (RAV), the Association of Democratic Lawyers (VDJ) as well as the Humanist Union (HU) and the Committee for Fundamental Rights and Democracy, among others, have spoken out against the establishment of these "camps". Report from December 8, 2025 from and at LTO 
  • EU migration policy: Right-wing work, Germany's contribution. Thanks to Germany, asylum law is being tightened even more
    "There was no need for a warning from Washington: The EU wants to significantly tighten its course in asylum policy. In the future, so-called return centers for rejected asylum seekers will be set up outside Europe - for example in Albania, but also in African countries. This will make deportations easier and faster. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) spoke of a turning point. "We are experiencing a European momentum today," said Dobrindt on the sidelines of a meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels. It's about "control course and clear edge, also in Europe". In the future, asylum procedures should, if possible, be carried out directly at the EU's external borders. In addition, so-called secondary migration will be curbed. This would allow Germany to accept fewer migrants. The tightening comes as no surprise. Many of the measures now decided were already included in the asylum and migration pact that the EU decided on before the European elections in June 2024. The change of government in Berlin at the beginning of 2025 gave the hardliners new impetus. Most recently, the USA called for a tougher course against immigrants in Europe in its new security doctrine. (…) The planned new rules still have to be approved by the European Parliament. But they are already encountering harsh criticism: European churches, aid organizations and Amnesty International are warning Germany and the EU against taking a repressive course. Wiebke Judith, legal policy spokeswoman for Pro Asyl, spoke of a “chamber of horrors”: “Even people who are obliged to leave the country have basic rights.” The decisions of the interior ministers followed a right-wing and right-wing extremist narrative, criticized Green Mélissa Camara.With the planned return centers, the EU is axing fundamental values ​​and human rights. She announced a “battle” in the European Parliament to defend EU principles.” Comment by Eric Bonse from December 8, 2025 in the taz online 
  • Return Hubs: Expensive and inefficient deterrent
    “Planned “return centers” for rejected asylum seekers cost a lot of money and violate human rights
    They are a matter close to the German Interior Minister’s heart: the “Return Hubs” that the EU would like to set up and operate in third countries. People are to be brought there who are obliged to leave the country because they have not been granted protection status and whose countries of origin refuse to take back their citizens or because their deportation is not possible for other reasons. A few months ago, CSU man Alexander Dobrindt specially invited his EU counterparts to a meeting on the Zugspitze to turn the plan into reality. He has many supporters, including the social democratic Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen and the right-wing populist Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. They all brush aside concerns that legal scholars express about the “return centers.”…”Comment by Jana Frielinghaus from December 9th, 2025 in ND online 
• The number of “irregular” entries into the EU is falling by a further 20 percent – ​​because the EU pays authoritarian regimes money to stop refugees, if necessary with violence
  "The number of so-called irregular border crossings into the European Union fell by 20 percent in the first five months of this year. As the EU border protection agency Frontex announced on Wednesday, a total of around 63,700 "unauthorized" entries were registered from January to May. “Irregular” migration does not just mean general entry without papers. People who have no other option to assert their right to asylum due to a lack of legal escape routes also fall into this category. Human rights organizations therefore criticize the term as misleading because it criminalizes legitimate requests for protection. (…) Human rights organizations have been criticizing for years that the EU, as part of this cooperation, transfers money to governments that are accused of serious human rights violations. For example, the Mauritanian government is accused of detaining refugees without trial or deporting them to dangerous countries of origin. Libya and Tunisia are also heavily criticized for violence against migrants and pushbacks. Despite these allegations, EU states are increasingly relying on the strategy of moving their borders outwards. Third countries receive financial and logistical support in order to stop migrants before they leave or during transit. The sharp decline in numbers on several routes suggests that this policy is “working” from the EU’s perspective – even if it may deny those affected basic rights…” Report from June 12, 2025 in MiGAZIN (“Irregular” migration to the EU is once again falling significantly)
• EU Commission proposal: Is the EU-Rwanda model coming? Concept of “safe third countries” as a frontal attack on refugee protection in Europe
  “PRO ASYL criticizes the European Commission and the German Federal Government’s plan to remove the previously mandatory connection criterion for “safe third countries” for deportations. (…) This currently stipulates in EU law that there must be a personal connection between refugees and supposedly “safe third countries” for them so that their application for asylum in the EU can be rejected as inadmissible and they can be deported to the country. In the future, member states should be able to refrain from doing this entirely or consider transit to be sufficient. The member states would then only have to make appropriate agreements with third countries to ensure that the person concerned's asylum application is processed there. The federal government also supports the deletion of the connecting element in its coalition agreement. "If the mandatory connection criterion were removed from the European legal texts as proposed by the Commission and with the support of the new German federal government, asylum seekers could in future be taken to countries where they have never been before and to which they have no connection. That is pure arbitrariness!", says Wiebke Judith, legal policy spokeswoman for PRO ASYL. This change would allow EU member states to adopt models such as the infamous UK-Rwanda deal to outsource asylum procedures to countries outside Europe. “Such approaches are not only legally highly questionable, realistically difficult to implement and politically irresponsible, but also deeply inhumane.The European Parliament should reject the removal of the mandatory connection criterion!” The Commission also proposes to remove the suspensory effect of appeals against rejection of asylum applications based on the application of the “safe third country” concept. A suspensive effect of the lawsuit prevents deportation while the lawsuit is still ongoing. “That would de facto mean a further disenfranchisement of those seeking protection, who would then have an even harder time defending themselves against the rejection of their asylum application.” The standard application of the concept of “safe third countries” would be a frontal attack on refugee protection in Europe…” Press release from May 20, 2025 from Pro Asyl 
  • See our dossier for background information:Great Britain continues to build walls: New bill makes access to asylum more difficult, criminalizes applicants - and deports them to Rwanda
• The EU Commission lists seven countries for asylum returns; a new proposal should also enable transfers to “return centers” in third countries
  "The European Commission is expected to propose seven countries as "safe third countries" to which EU member states can quickly return asylum seekers from there. This emerges from a document available to the news portal "Euractiv". According to this, the planned list includes Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco and Tunisia. It is to be published by mid-June and added as an amendment to the EU Asylum Procedure Regulation. This law is part of the one passed last year "Migration Pact", which must be implemented by all EU states by 2026. According to "Euractiv", the initiative should be followed by an accelerated review of the concept of "safe third countries". This should enable asylum seekers to be transferred to a country outside the European Union in order to process their application. The "responsibility for protection" for this person would then be transferred to this state in accordance with a change in EU law. However, according to the Commission, this would require a conclusion "bilaterally or at EU level". Agreements or agreements concluded with third countries. Families with minors and unaccompanied minors should be excluded from this. The new procedure would require the complete or partial deletion of the so-called connection criterion - i.e. reasons that asylum seekers present for an application in a certain EU country. Such connections can, for example, be family members or a previous place of residence (...) This new set of rules contains a passage on "return centers" in third countries to which asylum seekers could also be transferred.“The member states are demanding innovative solutions for migration management,” says the Commission, justifying its proposal.” Article by Matthias Monroy from April 15, 2025 in New Germany online 
• Although or because Great Britain and Italy failed: the EU Commission wants to speed up deportation centers outside the EU with a new return regulation
  • “New low”: EU Commission gives deportation centers outside the EU the green light
    “The EU wants to deport rejected asylum seekers more quickly. EU Commissioner Brunner has presented a draft law that also provides for deportation centers outside the EU. However, how this should be implemented remains open. Amnesty sees a “new low” reached...”Report from March 12, 2025 in Migazin 
  • How a law should ensure more deportations
    “Tougher deportation rules, stricter controls, possible imprisonment: A new EU law is intended to speed up the returns of rejected asylum seekers. How and when it will come is still unclear…”The most important questions and answers on March 11th, 2025 in Migazin 
  • PRO ASYL on the EU Commission's stricter deportation plans: absurd and inhumane
    “With its proposal for a new return regulation presented today, the EU Commission wants to significantly tighten the European deportation rules and harmonize them more closely across Europe. The proposals include new forms of deportation deals with third countries, more detention and tightening of voluntary departures and re-entry bans. The Commission's proposal will now be discussed by the Member States and the EU Parliament. PRO ASYL calls on everyone involved to focus on the full protection of fundamental rights and human dignity - instead of relying on deportations at all costs…”Press release from March 11, 2025 from Pro Asyl 
• EU shortly before concluding new refugee pacts: Jordan and Morocco should now also close their borders so that people do not flee towards Europe
  “New agreements with third countries are intended to prevent people from fleeing to Europe. With two countries, this should happen very quickly. The federal government's special representative is also about to sign.  (…) Von der Leyen had previously visited Jordan's King Abdullah II. According to the Commission President, a budget support program worth 152 million euros is also to be launched for Morocco. This should also be completed at the beginning of 2025 and help better cooperation on migration. The essence is that the signatory states undertake to close their borders so that people do not flee towards Europe. (…) Critics see the agreements as a threat to human rights. The European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly criticized the agreement with Tunisia because the EU Commission had not set any concrete criteria for ending financial support if the North African country violated human rights. Aid organizations had repeatedly reported massive human rights violations…”Article from December 18, 2024 in Migazin (“EU before concluding refugee pacts with Jordan and Morocco”)
• Readmission agreement with Somalia: No deportation into the crisis!
  “Somalia has promised Germany that it will take back refugees “without the right to stay”. According to Chancellor Scholz, a corresponding agreement that will enable faster returns is on the way. The Berlin Refugee Council vehemently criticizes the plan for such an agreement between the German and Somali governments.“This agreement ignores the catastrophic security situation in Somalia and recklessly endangers the lives of people who have sought protection here,” says Adam Bahar from the Berlin Refugee Council.
  Violence, terror and the lack of a functioning state make a safe return to Somalia virtually impossible. The Foreign Office is currently issuing a travel warning due to regular, serious attacks with many deaths and injuries. According to the AA, the targets of these attacks include Mogadishu Airport.“It is incomprehensible to send people back to such an unsafe environment; it is not only against human rights, but also extremely problematic from a legal point of view,” continued Bahar…”Press release from November 22, 2024 at the Berlin Refugee Council 
• Germany and Colombia are planning a migration partnership for the immigration of hard-working Colombians and the deportation of (useless) asylum seekers
  "Germany and Colombia have agreed on a joint declaration of intent for a so-called migration partnership. As the Federal Ministry of the Interior announced, Colombia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Jorge Rojas Rodriguez, and the Federal Government's Special Representative for Migration Agreements, Joachim Stamp (FDP), signed the agreement in Berlin. In his role as special representative, Stamp is intended to help attract workers from abroad and to help ensure that asylum seekers' countries of origin are exempt from deportation of citizens who are obliged to leave the country Germany to their homeland. In the first eight months of this year, 2,462 people from Colombia applied for asylum in Germany for the first time. This placed Colombia in ninth place among the main countries of origin for asylum seekers (…) Stamp said after the signing: “Both sides have the same interests: we want to promote scientific, labor and educational migration and take consistent action against irregular migration.” There are hard-working and performance-oriented Colombians in Germany, the Federal Ministry of the Interior quoted the Deputy Foreign Minister as saying. There are currently around 14,000 people from Colombia in Germany who are subject to social security contributions, as well as 3,500 students and around 500 scientists…” Report from September 23, 2024 in MiGAZIN (“Germany and Colombia plan migration partnership”)
• New migration agreements again: with Kenya and Uzbekistan – side effect: deportations to Afghanistan?
  • Migration agreement: Germany and Uzbekistan want to control migration and deportations - side effect: deportations to Afghanistan?
    "At the start of his Central Asia trip, Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed to closer cooperation with Uzbekistan in controlling migration to Germany. An agreement on this was signed during his visit to the almost 3,000-year-old trading city of Samarkand on the Silk Road. It is intended to facilitate the influx of skilled workers, particularly in the care and health sector, and the repatriation of Uzbeks without the right to remain in Germany. However, the latter point only concerns 203 people (as of July 31). That's less than 0.1 percent of all 225,000 people in Germany. A total of 13,700 Uzbeks live in Germany. But perhaps the agreement can help deport criminals via Uzbekistan to Afghanistan (...) Agreements with individual countries of origin are a central part of the Ampel government's migration policy. A migration agreement was signed with Kenya just last Friday Agreements have been at an advanced stage with Moldova and Kyrgyzstan, and talks are also underway with the Philippines and Ghana. The agreements are always based on two pillars: deportation of people without the right to remain and the recruitment of skilled workers for the German labor market. Critics speak of this pattern: “The good ones in the pot, the bad ones in the crop” or “utilitarian racism”. (…) However, the authoritarian states in the region are internationally criticized for human rights violations. Gas-rich Turkmenistan, for example, is considered an isolated dictatorship similar to North Korea.Before the trip, the human rights organization Human Rights Watch called on Scholz to openly address grievances. “The federal government cannot pretend that closer relations with Central Asia are possible without a significant improvement in the human rights situation in the region,” said Regional Director Hugh Williamson.” Contribution by Michael Fischer and Ulf Mauder from September 16, 2024 in MiGAZIN 
  • The new German migration policy (II): Scholz concludes migration agreement with Uzbekistan: Germany is allowed to deport refugees and in return receives well-trained Uzbeks as skilled workers. The deportation of Afghans via Uzbekistan is also made possible
    "The federal government will deport Uzbek refugees to Uzbekistan and in return will receive well-educated, presumably very good German-speaking Uzbeks as skilled workers in Germany. This is provided for in a migration agreement that was signed on Sunday on the occasion of a visit by Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The "opportunity to bring talent ... to Germany" and "at the same time to accelerate the processes of repatriation" of economically unuseful refugees belong together, explained Scholz. As the Federal Government's special representative for the new migration agreements reports, Uzbekistan's government is also prepared to "tailor" the training of its citizens to Germany. Scholz's trip to Central Asia comes to an end this Tuesday in Kazakhstan with the second "Z5+1" summit, at which the Chancellor will meet with the presidents of all five Central Asian states. The aim is to increase German influence in the region compared to Russia and China. However, Berlin and the EU have tried this several times in the past - without success. (…) The federal government does not provide any further information on reports that there was talk of deporting Afghan refugees to Uzbekistan during Scholz's visit to Samarkand. Sweden has been deporting Afghans for some time to the Uzbek capital Tashkent, at whose airport they are put directly onto planes - ostensibly voluntarily - that fly to Afghanistan (...) It has been heard again and again for some time that the federal government is aiming for an identical approach.Now it is reported that the migration agreement actually contains a paragraph that stipulates that Uzbekistan can take over the “transit” of criminals. A note from the Federal Ministry of the Interior states that “the repatriation of Afghan nationals via Uzbekistan” could be based on this. Concrete paths had already been negotiated at the end of May, when a delegation from the ministry was in Uzbekistan. Accordingly, Uzbekistan is ready to settle the necessary formalities with the Taliban; “That saves Berlin from getting its hands dirty: The red-yellow-green federal government attaches great importance to continuing to present itself as an impeccable defender of human rights and therefore avoiding its own contacts with the Taliban.” Report from September 17, 2024 by and at German-Foreign-Policy.com 
  • The new German migration policy (I): The federal government concludes a migration agreement with Kenya in order to poach Kenyan skilled workers - and at the same time plans large-scale deportations. Under President Ruto, Kenya is participating in Ukraine's rearmament.
    "Kenya's President William Ruto is expected in Berlin this Friday to sign an agreement on the poaching of skilled workers. The migration agreement envisages bringing trained Kenyans to the Federal Republic on a large scale in the future - a classic case of harmful brain drain. This deprives the Kenyan economy of job potential that it actually needs for its own development. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who is supposed to sign the agreement, is currently primarily concerned with enforcing the deportation of as many refugees as possible and the After taking office in September 2022, President Ruto brought Kenya closer to the West - in contrast to the general trend in the Global South; under his leadership, Kenya is one of only a handful of states from the Global South to be part of the “Ramstein Group”, which is steering Ukraine's rearmament. (…) Ruto also agreed to send a good 1,000 Kenyan police officers to Haiti; These are now in use there to contain the bloody gang war in the Caribbean country. The USA in particular had pushed for the deployment. The Biden administration retaliated by inviting Ruto to the White House for a state visit at the end of May - the first African head of state in over 15 years. Shortly thereafter, Kenya became the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to be designated a Major Non-NATO Ally of the United States. (…) If all of this has made Ruto popular in the West - including in Berlin - he has long been massively criticized in his own country.He owed his narrow election victory in 2022 primarily to impoverished Kenyans living in precarious conditions, whom he had intensively wooed with the promise of improving their living conditions. In contrast, the cost of living in Kenya rose during his time in office, while he primarily cut government aid and increased taxes. The fact that Ruto rented a luxury jet from Dubai for his state visit to Washington - for $1.5 million - while poverty in the country continued to rise further fueled the discontent. After it became known that he wanted to impose a VAT of 16 percent on the purchase of bread and an environmental tax on the purchase of products such as car tires and diapers, mass protests broke out at the end of June. At least 39 people were killed in their bloody crackdown by the beginning of July alone; countless others were injured, some seriously.[4] In Berlin, which likes to call for the president to resign in such cases and threatens sanctions if the government is not clearly pro-Western, they only said that they were “concerned” and were therefore “calling on everyone involved to exercise maximum restraint”…” Report from September 13, 2024 by and at German-Foreign-Policy.com 
• New British Prime Minister declares controversial Rwanda plan "dead" and the CDU: Rwanda now has "more capacity for us" 
  “After the new British Prime Minister rejected the Rwanda model for relocating asylum procedures to third countries, the examination continues in Germany. The Union is even calling for the British rejection to be used for Germany. Rwanda now has more capacity.
  The announced stop to the asylum agreement between Great Britain and Rwanda has met with mixed reactions in Germany. It has been noted that the British government does not want to pursue this any further, said a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior and highlighted its own doubts about such models. The Union, on the other hand, continues to insist on relocating asylum procedures to third countries and sees the rejection from London as an opportunity for Germany. The Rwandan government is sticking to its cooperation with Europeans, and in Rwanda “there is now even more capacity available for us,” said the domestic policy spokesman for the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Alexander Throm (CDU), to the “Evangelical Press Service”. “We should stick to the project and use the preparatory work of our British partners,” he added…”Report from July 8th, 2024 in Migazin (“CDU: Rwanda now has “more capacity for us””)
  • See the report “The new British Prime Minister Starmer stops the plan for deportations to Rwanda – the “successful role model” for the German government” from July 8th in our dossierGreat Britain continues to build walls: New bill makes access to asylum more difficult, criminalizes applicants - and deports them to Rwanda
• Refugees in Mauritania: This far and no further
  “Refugees from all over Africa are gathering in Mauritania. Spain and the EU are paying the country to stop people heading to the Canary Islands
  When the cruise ship Insignia entered the port of Tenerife at 5:30 a.m. last Friday, it not only had 670 tourists on board, but also six bodies and 67 refugees. The Insignia had rescued the shipwrecked people in the Atlantic the evening before and taken them on board. (…) Around 40,000 refugees arrived in the Canary Islands in 2023 – a record that is expected to be exceeded in 2024. Many people do not survive the 800-kilometer journey from the coast of West Africa in large wooden pirogues. The Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras counts 4,808 deaths on the route from January to June 2024. The UN migration organization IOM estimates 959 deaths for the same period. They drown, die of thirst or die of exhaustion. In some cases, authorities from the Caribbean and Brazil are even reporting boats with corpses that have washed ashore in Mauritania and veered off course. Shortly before the Insignia picks up the shipwrecked people, the Congolese priest Arthur Kalonda, a short man with whiskers and a gray hooded jacket, stands on a small hill near the port of Nouadhibou, in the far north of Mauritania. (…) For many years, Cap Blanc off Nouadhibou, an industrial town that thrives on fishing, gas and ore production, has been a preferred departure point for the Canary Islands. The number of departures has been increasing since September 2023. (…) One of the churchgoers is a woman from Burundi, her name is Marie. (…) Stopping people like Marie – that’s what the EU wants from Mauritania. In February, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and in March, EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson and Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska came to the capital Nuakschott.They met President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani and renewed agreements on financial aid and migration prevention. Mauritania will receive 210 million euros from Brussels and 64 million euros from Madrid - in addition to Western development aid. Johansson praised the country as a “strategic partner in the Sahel” that would create “economic opportunities” and “strengthen joint efforts to combat smugglers.” Mauritania has “already done an excellent job” in this regard, said Johansson. And so Spain's coast guard is allowed to continue patrolling the Mauritanian coast and intercepting boats. Migrants stopped on the Atlantic - or from Morocco in the desert - come to Mauritania. This is extremely practical for the EU and Morocco: they do not need to examine asylum applications, nor do they have to laboriously clarify identities or even obtain passports. All those intercepted simply come to Mauritania, and the country immediately deports them to Mali or Senegal without being noticed. From an EU perspective, it couldn’t be easier. (…) It's paradoxical: Anyone who wants to stay in the poor country is treated well. But the government is taking even tougher action against those who want to move on to Europe..." Report by Christian Jakob from Nouadhibou and Nouakschott from June 27, 2024 in the taz online 
• Refugee policy as a deterrent: outsourced to Albania - other states want to follow Italy. Is this really what the future of EU refugee policy looks like? 
  "The rocks in front of Gjadër rise out of the lush green coastal plain. The military once drove deep caverns into the mountain here, in the very north of Albania's Adriatic coast. Fighter jets were stationed in them to ward off a possible attack by Yugoslavia. In 2000, the army gave up the airport and residential buildings were built on the runways. But many of them are now overgrown in the landscape: first the military left, then the people. (…) But maybe everything will change now in Gjadër, because now people are supposed to come here again, thousands of them. (…) Italy is allowed to set up two internment camps in the port of the seaside resort of Shëngjin and 15 kilometers further north, in Gjadër, 3,000 people are to be held there at the same time until their asylum applications are decided The rest are deported directly. It is the first model of its kind. (…) For years, European countries have been trying to find neighboring countries to which they can impose the refugees, and the EU has also had Albania in mind for a long time (…) The camps are by no means “extraterritorial”, says Montemarani – they are only under “Italian jurisdiction”. International law experts, however, assume that Albanian law also applies and that the inmates could sue against their internment in Albanian courts. (…) The Interior Ministry recently held three all-day hearings with more than a dozen experts on the question of whether the model is an option for Germany. So far he has “heard nothing concrete” about other EU states wanting to send refugees to Albania, says the Italian Montemarani.“But of course there is a lot of interest in general”; The whole thing is “an ‘out of the box’ solution to a problem that affects many countries.” Meloni had assured that no “minors, pregnant women and other vulnerable people” would be brought to Albania. However, the contracts with the company Medihospes for the operation of the camps mention “activities for minors”. (…) Many have doubts as to whether Italy's plans are legal. They violate “European and international standards that require disembarkation in the nearest safe port, as well as the right to international protection and personal freedom,” wrote the Socialist Group in the EU Parliament. Amnesty fears negative impacts on the right to “life and physical integrity”. (…) Italy considers the model to be permissible as long as people have not yet physically reached the EU. Rome therefore only wants to bring people to Albania who are caught outside Italian territorial waters. However: Under what law should Italian coast guards detain people on the high seas and decide who is “vulnerable” and is allowed to go to Italy and who is not? (…) Albania can thus present itself as a “willing European country,” says Montemarani. Albania has been a candidate for EU membership since 2014 and the opening of accession negotiations is imminent. In a rating of the six accession candidates, Albania is only in fourth place. Showing goodwill can’t hurt…” Article by Christian Jakob from June 1, 2024 in the taz online – see our dossier for background information:Italian refugee policy
• Debt as a weapon in refugee policy: The EU uses the national debt system as a weapon against freedom of movement in migration deals
  “An emancipation of the Global South from the economic clutches of the North could prevent this and at the same time enable freedom to remain
  Fascists think migration deals like the one between the European Union and Egypt are great. They are “the best way to deal with migration flows,” complains Italy’s mini-leader, Giorgia Meloni. We see it differently and are not alone. But simply rejecting the policies supported by the right and demanding the protection of human life, which Europe has always cared about, is not enough. What is necessary is an emancipatory, materialistic position on migration issues, a confrontation with the global economy and its power relations. (…) Inhumane agreements between the EU and numerous states in Eastern Europe, Western Asia and North, West and East Africa have now become a miserable standard in European foreign policy. The EU has announced fourteen new agreements since 2021 alone. They aim to restrict freedom of movement, do not address any of the reasons for involuntary emigration and are only possible because the EU has access to the instruments of economic blackmail to implement them. There are two, often intertwined, ways in which migration agreements emerge. Either, it is in the intrinsic interest of the political leadership of a state to prevent emigration from their territory, as they want to strengthen the local economy in relation to the capitalist centers through the exploitation of immigrants, as has been the case in Morocco since 2013. Little convincing is needed here. Or the government wants to prevent immigrants from staying there for reasons of power politics. Additional decision-making support for repression against migration is needed here.Money is often the central motivator here, which becomes more attractive the emptier the state coffers and higher the national debt. In both cases, the EU's materially superior situation plays into its hands. Either a little help is needed if the interests of preventing departure overlap in the EU border state and the EU. But since almost all states on Europe's external borders are struggling with exploding national debts and are struggling for foreign currency to repay them, the EU - with the exception of Algeria - is also managing to bring all other states into line through generous migration agreements by offering money in return for the brutal prevention of migration to Europe. Such agreements have already cost the EU an estimated 13 billion euros between 2014 and 2020, and the trend is rising.  In both cases, measures against states' ability to blackmail can increase the level of freedom of movement. Both the need to exploit cheap labor and to comply with the constraints of the EU would be drastically reduced if the states' national debts were unconditionally canceled. (…) Debt is not only used directly as a means of pressure. Likewise, the structure of the global economy and the debt system drive people from their homes by, firstly, producing poverty and economic instability, secondly, making states increasingly fragile and unable to respond to social crises, and thirdly, fueling armed conflicts.(…) If economic insecurity, armed conflicts and state fragility are the main reasons for involuntary emigration, then the points presented here show that the current structure of the international debt system must be understood as an element that structurally hinders the freedom to live in a state with a social security system, an economic perspective and, above all, without armed conflicts. If enabling both freedom of residence and freedom of movement is our political goal, there is no avoiding advocating at a structural level for the liberation of the states of the Global South from the economic clutches of the Global North. Collectively suspending the repayment of the national debt of the Global South was already the central political goal of the murdered Thomas Sankara. This vision of an unconditional debt cancellation is more urgent than ever today, in the face of dwindling freedom to stay due to the climate crisis and freedom of movement prevented by the Global North.” Contribution by Nico Graack, Robin Jaspert, Lara Wörner and Lukas Hufert from May 11, 2024 in MiGAZIN 
• Led by the Czech Republic and Denmark, a group of EU member states are calling for the British “Rwanda model” at EU level
  “Leaded by the Czech Republic and Denmark, a group of EU member states want to call on the Commission to implement the so-called “Rwanda model” at EU level. Accordingly, this, the most recent migration reform, is intended to expand the outsourcing of EU asylum procedures to third countries.According to the letter, which has been seen by Czech newspapers, the signatories are calling for agreements with non-EU countries to which EU states could send migrants caught at sea.The entire EU could then move to a model similar to that agreed between Italy and Albania in November 2023 and as the UK is trying to implement with Rwanda.“A permanent solution could be found for them there,” the letter says, as Hospodářské noviny reports.According to the plan, migrants who come to Europe without the necessary documents would not even reach EU shores, the letter continues.The plan also includes the transfer of migrants who are already in an EU country but have not received asylum there. These migrants could be taken to a country outside the EU where they remain until they can be deported.The letter was initiated by Denmark and the Czech Republic and supported by several EU countries. The approach is also supported by the majority of member states, including the Netherlands, the Baltic states and Italy, Euractiv has learned…” Contribution by Aneta Zachová, Ondřej Plevák, Sarah N’tsia and Simone Cantarini from May 6, 2024 in Euractiv (“Migration: Member States call for “Rwanda model” at EU level”)
  • See our dossier for the “role model”:Great Britain continues to build walls: New bill makes access to asylum more difficult, criminalizes applicants - and deports them to Rwanda
• Now 1 billion euros for Lebanon: The EU's new billion-dollar deal is intended to prevent the arrival of refugees from Syria
  • The EU's new billion-dollar deal aims to prevent the arrival of refugees
    “More and more refugees have recently come from Lebanon to Cyprus - and thus to the EU. A billion-dollar deal with Lebanon is intended to prevent people from entering EU soil. The pact is controversial, with experts calling it a “big mistake.”
    The EU wants to stop the flight of refugees from Syria to Europe from Syria who were previously living in Lebanon with financial aid worth around one billion euros. The EU money is intended to strengthen the health, education and social services in Lebanon. Funds are also earmarked for the country's security authorities and armed forces, as well as for the fight against smuggling gangs and for economic and financial reforms. (…) According to Head of State Christodoulidis, in the past few months Syrians from Lebanon, about 160 kilometers away, have been arriving by boat in the EU island republic in the eastern Mediterranean almost every day. Since the beginning of the year, around 4,000 people have already been counted - in the first quarter of the previous year there were only 78. In absolute numbers, this is significantly fewer than, for example, in Italy, Spain and Greece, where boat refugees arrive from countries such as Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Morocco and Turkey. (…)
    Anti-Syrian sentiment in Lebanon
    However, it is questionable whether the EU money will be enough to ease the situation in Lebanon. The country is currently in the worst economic and financial crisis in its history and, with more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees, is one of the countries that have taken in the most refugees per capita in the world. This has led to an anti-Syrian mood and many refugees no longer dare to go out on the streets for fear of attacks. (…)
    Reports of arbitrary arrests and torture
    According to human rights activists, Lebanese officials have been using discriminatory practices against Syrians for years to force them to return to Syria. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that in recent months, Lebanese authorities have arbitrarily arrested, tortured and sent Syrians, including opposition activists and army defectors, back to Syria. The Lebanese rulers are of the opinion that the civil war country is stable and safe enough to guarantee a return. (…) In view of this mixed situation, the EU's plans are also viewed critically. “The EU is making a big mistake in Lebanon,” says Riad Kahwaji, director of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis. The country has a long history of internal problems, driven by sectarian conflicts, which continue to lead to a power vacuum to this day. Lebanon is in no way prepared to be a receiving country for refugees. The same politicians who are now receiving money from the EU would be on podiums calling for the Syrians to be thrown out of the country. “It is crazy to see that Europeans believe in the illusion that this is the case