Migration - Zieschang: permanent border controls necessary
This November, significantly fewer asylum seekers have arrived in Saxony-Anhalt than in the same month last year - thanks to border controls with various neighboring German countries. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the weekly number of arrivals has been falling significantly for a good five weeks. Last week, 153 people seeking protection were admitted, compared to 124 the week before. In the last week of October, there were still 191 and in the first week of November 221. Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang (CDU) is calling for permanent controls, including at the EU's external borders.
In addition to the existing border controls with Austria, the introduction of temporary internal border controls on October 16, 2023 at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland is obviously having an effect, according to the ministry. For a landlocked state such as Saxony-Anhalt, the effects were somewhat delayed. The federal states with external borders forwarded the refugees to other states such as Saxony-Anhalt after a certain quota.
"Under pressure from the federal states and only after much hesitation did the federal government decide to introduce internal border controls at the land borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. It has now been confirmed that internal border controls are an effective means of combating irregular migration," explained Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang (CDU).
"In order for the numbers to continue to fall, permanent and not just temporary controls are needed. And preferably at the EU's external borders," she continued. "However, as long as these are not sufficiently protected and uncontrolled travel of asylum seekers within Europe is not effectively prevented, internal border controls cannot be dispensed with." Controls are a first important building block for limiting illegal migration. "Further building blocks are the expansion of the list of safe countries of origin to include Armenia, India and the Maghreb states as well as the repatriation of those obliged to leave the country," Zieschang continued.
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- The decrease in asylum seekers entering Saxony-Anhalt in the previous year's November is attributed to the effective border controls implemented with neighboring countries and at the internal borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland.
- Switzerland, like Saxony-Anhalt, has seen a reduction in refugee inflow due to the implementation of border controls, albeit with a slightly different time frame.
- The Czech Republic and Poland, being neighbors to Saxony-Anhalt, have also felt the impact of internal border controls on the movement of asylum seekers within Europe.
- The Ministry of the Interior in the Czech Republic and Poland might consider implementing permanent border controls to prevent uncontrolled travel of asylum seekers within Europe, following the example set by Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang and Saxony-Anhalt.
- EU member states, including Austria, would benefit from strengthening border controls and implementing effective measures to prevent illegal migration, as advocated by Zieschang and other political leaders concerned with migration management.
- The CDU party, along with other European political parties, should prioritize migration policy discussions at the EU level, focusing on finding solutions to strengthen external border controls and combat irregular migration.
Source: www.stern.de
