The German authorities want to velocity up the return of immigrants whose asylum applications under the Dublin Convention should be examined in another EU country. On 1 March, the centre for specified people will start operations in Eisenhuettenstadt on the border with Poland.
German Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser and Head of the Brandenburg Land Interior Ministry Katrina Lange signed an agreement on the establishment of the centre in Potsdam on Monday.
"If people come to Germany, even though they should go through asylum proceedings in another EU country, they must be sent back more quickly" - said Faeser.
Immigrants who enter the centre will be deprived of cash benefits. The rule of "bed, bread and soap" applies," Faeser said. The restrictions are intended to discourage them from coming to Germany again. The mention to Poland is to take no longer than 2 weeks.
They will send immigrants to Poland
The Dublin Convention provides that asylum applications should be lodged and processed in the first EU country to which the immigrant has reached. If he goes to another country and asks for asylum again, the first country should take him back. A request for a referral should be submitted within six months. Competency disputes between the central authorities and the Land authorities in Germany frequently consequence in this deadline being exceeded.
"Because of Brandenburg's good contacts with neighbouring Polish provinces, the centre's activity in Eisenhuettenstadt is to be about sending immigrants back to Poland" – reads a press release published on the website of the German Ministry of Interior.
In order to velocity up proceedings, the Central Office for abroad Affairs of Brandenburg will work closely with offices in Poland. "We are in good dialog with Poland", the Minister stressed.
Refugee centres
Eisenhuettenstadt has a long-standing exile centre. As of March, 2 buildings of this facility with 250 seats will be intended for persons under the Dublin Convention. They will not be sent into a country where they would wait for months to examine the application, but will stay in the fenced barrier of the facility. They'll gotta study all exit and return.
Eisenhuettenstadt is the second specified centre after Hamburg. Migration policy is the most crucial subject of the run before the German parliamentary elections on 23 February. The opposition accuses the government of Olaf Scholz of being helpless against illegal immigration and demands stricter rules.
Last year the German authorities requested the admission of 74 000 immigrants to another EU countries, obtaining the consent to send back 44 000 people. In fact, little than 6,000 immigrants were sent to another countries. Dublin centres are to be established in all 16 lands forming the West Germany.
PAP
