Greens avert asylum chaos in their own party

Greens avert asylum chaos in their own party

The expected showdown takes place at the federal party conference of the Greens: the Green Youth wants to prohibit the party from tightening asylum laws in any way. Vice-Chancellor Habeck warns the convention of an end to all government participation. His counter-speakers rely on emotions, but their motion fails.

In an eagerly awaited debate within the Greens, the party leadership averted a momentous motion on asylum and migration policy. A Green Youth program text was rejected by the majority of the approximately 800 delegates after an almost three-hour, at times highly emotional discussion. Federal Chairwoman Ricarda Lang, Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck and Annalena Baerbock urgently warned against sabotaging the Greens' participation in government. The applicants, on the other hand, believe that the party is well on the way to abolishing the right to asylum and strengthening right-wing parties in Germany and Europe with its course.

At the so-called Federal Delegates' Conference in Karlsruhe, the debate was sparked by the adoption of the European election program. In the chapter on asylum and migration policy, the party sets out its guidelines on the subject. The Green Youth attempted to draw red lines for further government action. Among other things, they and other party left-wingers are at odds with the German government's approval of the EU asylum reform and the agreements reached at the Minister Presidents' Conference three weeks ago, which included more police powers for deportations and fewer cash benefits for people in the asylum process. Their amendment was aimed at prohibiting their own government members and MPs from approving any tightening of asylum laws in future - even if these are not tied to a European election program in practice.

Habeck speaks of a "vote of no confidence"

Habeck described the Green Youth motion as "a vote of no confidence in disguise, which in reality says 'leave the government'". If the motion is accepted, remaining in the traffic light coalition will be called into question. "It would be naive to believe that this is possible and to remain in a government." Nothing would be better for refugees if other parties governed instead of the Greens. Although the speech garnered loud applause, it also outraged some delegates because they felt Habeck had exerted undue pressure.

It was also a risk for Habeck: if the Green Youth motion had prevailed, he would have had a lot to explain with his statement that he could not continue to govern in this way. Party chairwoman Ricarda Lang, the face of the party left, argued in a similar way to Realo Habeck: "The consequences are that we are no longer at the table when these things are negotiated," said Lang. As party chairwoman, she asked for trust so that the Greens could continue to negotiate for green migration policy in the federal government.

"We don't want the end of the government, we want a new asylum policy," replied Sarah Lee Heinrich, former chairwoman of the Green Youth. "We've been talking for months about doing one more thing to finally put a lid on the asylum debate, and it's not working." Katharina Stolla, the new chairwoman of the party youth, said: "Making policy out of love for people means making policy for all people and not out of love for a coalition partner."

Her co-chair Svenja Appuhn said: "No, this really isn't a vote of no confidence." Rather, the ministers' backs would be strengthened to say 'this far and no further' in the traffic light. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock replied to Appuhn: "I can tell you: I can't keep to that." If successful, she would have to abstain from every negotiation. Then others alone would determine migration policy.

Dispute over the right tone

Supporters of the Green Youth motion point out, among other things, that the number of refugees is not the cause of empty coffers in the municipalities, too little accommodation capacity and a lack of staff in authorities, schools and daycare centers. Instead, they called for more money for local authorities and warned that the Greens were playing into the hands of the CDU/CSU and the AfD if they agreed with the claim that Germany was overburdened.

Several delegates jumped to the side of the Green ministers and accused the Green Youth of "jeering" and inappropriate propaganda. "I don't think this tone and this way of dealing with things is right," said MEP Viola von Cramon. "Have the confidence that we will stand up for refugees with everything we have," said Katharina Beck, Member of the Bundestag for Hamburg. "Annalena[Baerbock] is the strongest advocate for refugees in the European Union," said Christian Schubert, delegate from Erftstadt.

Baerbock herself had already spoken earlier in the day in anticipation of the debate and campaigned for the reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). "If we don't know who is coming, if we don't register him or her, how are they supposed to be distributed and be able to stay?" asked the Foreign Minister. "Without order, there is no humanity." However, there is currently no order at all in Europe's asylum policy, which is why the CEAS reform is a step forward.

Controversial title

"As painful as compromises are, including the one on CEAS: without it, we will hardly be able to achieve the basic right to asylum, binding distribution and state rescue at sea," said Baerbock. The reform needs to be adopted in the coming months. A new European Parliament will be elected at the beginning of June, which could make it more difficult to reach a European agreement afterwards.

Just how fundamentally different the views were was revealed in the debate on the title of the corresponding section of the election manifesto, "Humanity and order". Politicians from the CDU and CSU had also repeatedly used this phrase, but meant a different migration policy to that of the Greens. However, the Federal Executive Board won a close vote on this with its original text.

At the four-day party conference, the Greens will negotiate their European election program from Thursday to Sunday. On Friday, they elected the list of European election candidates and nominated 36-year-old Terry Reintke as their lead candidate. Furthermore, the party chairpersons Ricarda Lang and Omid Nouripour as well as Federal Managing Director Emily Büning were confirmed in their positions. At the small party conference in Bad Vilbel, the latter had already moderated a rebellion against the agreement of the traffic light system to the EU asylum law reform. However, as the fierce opposition in the debate showed, the issue will continue to occupy the party for the foreseeable future.

1. Amidst the debate, Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck expressed concerns about the Green Youth's proposal to prohibit the party from tightening asylum laws, stating that it could potentially lead to the Greens leaving the EU's Traffic Light Coalition and the Alliance 90/The Greens losing their influence in shaping the EU's asylum policy.
2. Annalena Baerbock, the Foreign Minister, also commented on the dispute, expressing her concern that if the Green Youth's motion had prevailed, she would have been forced to abstain from every negotiation on migration policy, allowing other parties to dictate the terms.
3. The debate over the right tone in discussing asylum policy also involved Green politicians such as Katharina Beck and Christian Schubert, who defended Annalena Baerbock and her commitment to upholding refugees' rights in Europe, countering accusations of jeering and inappropriate propaganda from supporters of the Green Youth motion.

Source: www.ntv.de