The fall of autocrat Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for decades with an iron fist, has led Germany, France, the United Kingdom and other European countries to rethink their asylum policy for citizens of that country. Berlin, about to begin the electoral campaign for the early elections in February, in which immigration will be a key issue, has paused requests for protection from Syrians until the situation is clarified after the advance of the rebels. At the moment, it has frozen about 47,000 applications, according to the German Interior Ministry. In the European Union, Italy, Austria, Greece, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, and Belgium have followed the same path and have paralyzed requests for international protection of Syrians until further notice. Additionally, the United Kingdom and Norway (which are not members of the EU) have also frozen applications.
The European Commission, which observes with some concern and uncertainty what is happening in Syria after the overthrow of Assad – to whom the Kremlin, which was essential during these years to remain in power, has granted asylum in Moscow – by rebel groups, has warned against making too hasty decisions or judgments. On Sunday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the end of the Assad regime in Syria is good news “for now.” A caution that has been repeated in the messages of all European leaders. “We will judge future rulers based on whether they enable all Syrians to live with dignity and self-determination, defend Syria’s sovereignty against malicious interference from third parties and live in peace with their neighbors,” the German president said.
“Given the current situation and unforeseeable events, a final decision on the outcome of the asylum procedure cannot currently be made,” explained the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). “For this reason, the BAMF has temporarily postponed decisions regarding applicants from Syria,” it continues in a note. “It is unpredictable whether current events will lead to refugee movements within or out of the region, nor what impact the changing situation will have on the ability of Syrian refugees to return to their homes,” the BAMF adds.
The German Government has spoken along the same lines. “We have to analyze the situation and we will make decisions when we know exactly how it evolves,” German Finance Minister Jörg Kukies said this Monday in Brussels. “The concrete possibilities of return cannot be predicted at this time and it would be unprofessional to speculate on them in such a volatile situation,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement.
In Spain, sources from the Ministry of the Interior have indicated that, “at the moment” no change is contemplated and, as has been done until now, “the applications will be analyzed case by case, taking into account the circumstances of the applicant and the country.” origin”, Miguel González reports.
With the civil war in Syria – which began in 2011 – and the regime of terror imposed by Assad, Syrians have for years been the nationals who present the most asylum applications in EU countries (181,000, according to data collected by the European Asylum Agency), ahead of the Afghans. Syrian is the nationality that generates the most requests in Germany, where some 800,000 citizens of that country live. The majority arrived as refugees after the decision in 2015 by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel to open the doors to them.
The decision of Berlin and other European capitals comes in the middle of a debate in the EU on the definition of what a “safe country” is, a key condition for denying asylum applications of those who request it and also a necessary condition for deportation. Currently, the community club does not have a common list of “safe countries” and it is each Member State that determines it. However, the European Commission, which is preparing a regulation to toughen and increase deportations of those who do not have the right to remain in the EU, has proposed that there be only one for the entire Union.
The Ministers of Justice and Interior will discuss these issues, collaterally, this Thursday and Friday at a meeting in Brussels, but Syria and the situation in the Middle East will be discussed in more depth at the Foreign Council next Monday and at the summit of European leaders that will be held at the end of next week, according to community sources.
