In the midst of a fierce internal political dispute about how to deal with refugees and controversies within the EU about European migration policy, a group of Greens is in favor of sharp reforms. The newly formed group within the governing party is called “Vert Realos – The bourgeois green middle”, one of the most prominent members is the controversial Mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer.
In many respects, the proposals represent a departure from the positions the Greens have maintained for decades and are likely to meet with fierce resistance within the party. First, the “Spiegel” had reported about it.
have signed the seven-page “Memorandum for a different migration policy in Germany” more than 70 politicians, including the Bavarian district administrator Jens Marco Scherf and Rebecca Harms, former group leader in the EU Parliament, as well as Uschi Eid, the former personal Africa representative of the then Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD).
It will not be enough to convene another (inconsequential) refugee summit.
The group “Vert Realos” in her memorandum
The authors write that there is no “concept for successful integration or the consistent return of refugees to their homeland as soon as this is justifiable or they want it themselves. An immigration law for economic migrants is needed, but also “mandatory residence zones” for refugees both at the borders and outside the European Union.
Asylum seekers without papers would have to be rejected or “remain in a state reception facility until their identity has been clarified”. A right of residence presupposes that refugees “fit into the social order” and accept basic values such as religious tolerance.
“Vert Realos” emphasizes that the discussion should not only be related to Germany, but must also take into account the European context and the different circumstances in other European countries.
“The German political discussion often lacks a feeling for the situation in other countries, especially those on the European external borders. For the sake of a European solution, Germany must make compromises,” the memorandum says.
The group demands that migration to the EU and Germany be organized “in a way that is acceptable and sustainable for the people who come, but also for the people who live here”.
The memorandum goes on to say that one million people came from Ukraine in 2021. More than 200,000 people have applied for asylum. “It will not be enough to convene another (without consequences) refugee summit.” The rapid implementation of an emergency program is needed.
The authors of the memorandum emphasize that acceptance of immigration is falling in Germany. This situation endangers cohesion and social peace in the long run. The “right fringe of society and the parties” is strengthened by the “mistaken migration policy” and the refusal to openly debate undesirable developments.
The group “Vert Realos” apparently assumes that its proposals will meet with strong resistance. According to the report, they see the paper as a “contribution to the discussion” in the party, so that “migration policy in Germany can be adapted to actual requirements”.
30,000
refugees came to Germany from third countries in January, says Reinhard Sager, President of the District Council.
The president of the district association, Reinhard Sager, warned on Saturday that the number of refugees would increase significantly this year. “In January, around 30,000 refugees from third countries came to us. If things continue like this, we will be well above the value of 2022 this year.” he said of the “image”. According to the newspaper, around 220,000 refugees from third countries came to Germany last year.
Sager criticized that he did not understand why the calls for help from the municipalities in the Chancellery had so far gone unheeded. In addition to a refugee summit with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), he called for “a whole bundle of measures”.
Scholz must make the issue “a top priority. Otherwise the municipalities are threatened with collapse,” said Sager. The federal government has so far acted too hesitantly and must, among other things, do more to protect the EU’s external borders.
The current situation contains enormous social explosives. People are beginning to doubt the rule of law.
Reinhard SagerPresident of the County Council
Like the Green Group, the head of the association also warned of social unrest. “The current situation contains enormous social explosives. People are beginning to doubt the rule of law,” said Sager. “We can already see how individual right-wing groups want to abuse and exploit the situation. That must not happen under any circumstances.”
DIW boss Fratzscher warns of strong support for the AfD
The President of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), Marcel Fratzscher, made a similar statement. “If the municipalities are not quickly and significantly better equipped, then the resistance of some in the population will increase and politically the AfD will gain strong support again,” he told the “Handelsblatt”. “The result would be failed integration and an even greater increase in social polarization in our country.”
Politicians must now “act urgently and provide the municipalities with more logistical support and better financial resources,” demanded the DIW boss. However, he sees the federal states as primarily responsible: “The federal government has always shouldered the greatest burden.” Now the federal states would have to give up their blockade attitude and participate more financially.
Police union fears mood swings
The head of the German police union, Heiko Teggatz, also fears a change in mood. “My colleagues will have a lot to do at the latest when sports halls and community centers have to be used to accommodate migrants and this affects club life in the municipalities,” he told the “Handelsblatt”.
According to a survey published on Friday, however, a majority of people in Germany currently consider the situation to be manageable. According to the political barometer from ZDF and Tagesspiegel, 57 percent are of the opinion that Germany can cope with the number of refugees, 40 percent are of the opposite opinion.
An eagerly awaited refugee summit by the federal, state and local authorities on Thursday did not bring any concrete agreement on the distribution of financial burdens and aid for the cities and municipalities. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) only promised results after further talks by Easter in Berlin. Representatives of cities and municipalities were disappointed.
Faeser rated the success of the meeting as “for the first time” it was possible to “agree on fixed work structures across all levels”. Here “concrete results should also be available by Easter”. Specifically, there are four areas, said Faeser. Accommodation and finances, relief for the immigration authorities and streamlining of processes, better integration in the labor market and limitation of irregular migration and deportations.
“Around Easter” there should also be a top-level meeting between Scholz and the prime ministers of the federal states to negotiate the financing issues, said Faeser. She emphasized that the federal government is “side by side” with the municipalities and federal states and has already pledged 2.75 billion euros for this year. “Together we shoulder the great humanitarian effort.”
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