LONDON: A party in Germany’s ruling coalition has called for the offshore processing of asylum-seekers over concerns that the country can no longer cope with the number of new arrivals, The Times reported on Wednesday.
Germany this year recorded its highest level of refugee status applications — 300,000 — since numbers peaked in 2015-2016.
The immigration issue is at the top of the German political agenda, with local authorities saying they are struggling to absorb a wave of new arrivals following the more than 1 million Ukrainians who arrived since last February.
Alternative for Germany, a right-wing party, is now polling at more than 20 percent, with surveys showing that voters view irregular migration as the most important issue in the country.
Next Monday, a migration summit including the federal and regional governments will take place, with several state officials calling on Chancellor Olaf Scholz to resolve the immigration issue through a cross-party agreement.
The center-right Free Democratic Party, part of Scholz’s ruling coalition, has called for the recognition of third countries — including Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia — as “safe” for deportation and processing.
The plan aims to free up Germany’s asylum system and offer alternatives to asylum-seekers trying to move to the country.
Christian Durr, the FDP leader in parliament, said: “An (offshore asylum) regulation of this kind would establish clarity over their protected status and prevent people from resorting to the dangerous route across the Mediterranean when they have no chance (of receiving asylum).”
The proposal is similar to Britain’s controversial Rwanda scheme, while Denmark has succeeded in creating a legal basis to also process asylum claims overseas.
Since 2012, Australia has operated offshore processing centers in Papua New Guinea and Nauru.
However, the German proposal is expected to face difficulties in persuading third countries to host large numbers of asylum-seekers while ensuring that European human rights laws are upheld.
The European Convention on Human Rights obligates signatories, including Germany, to accept asylum claims without delay, meaning that any offshore scheme could face lengthy legal battles before being implemented.
The ruling German coalition is also considering replacing cash handouts to asylum-seekers with prepaid grocery cards.
