Germany wants asylum seekers already recognized in Greece to consider return
The German government is seeking strategies to get asylum seekers in the country, who have already been recognized as refugees in Greece, to return there. This applies to a small group of people, who have been allowed to lodge asylum claims in Germany as a second EU country after Greece.
A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior said that the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has started to send out information letters to individuals who have already been granted protection status in Greece and who are either pursuing another asylum process in Germany or whose application in Germany has been declared inadmissible.
These letters are intended to inform these individuals about the possibility of a voluntary return to Greece and the support services that would immediately be available for them there.
Among other things, the letters tell those they are addressed to that in the first few months upon their return, already recognized refugees in Greece would receive accommodation, food and social counseling, where applicable.
Furthermore, integration programs are also being rolled out to facilitate the integration of returning refugees, the interior ministry spokesperson said — including language classes and support in finding a job.
The move to incentivize certain asylum seekers to return to Greece comes amid calls to limit migration to Germany ahead of general elections.
A unique exception
The predicament of asylum seekers who already have been given protection status in Greece but have come to Germany subsequently to lodge another application there is a somewhat unique situation in Germany’s current asylum system.
It comes after six months ago, an Administrative Court in the western city of Gelsenkirchen had ruled that despite asylum seekers ordinarily only being allowed to apply for asylum in one country in the European Union under the so-called Dublin Regulation, the living conditions in Greece were “unacceptable for refugees,” allowing them to also lodge a secondary claim in Germany.
That court ruling said that in view of “considerable bureaucratic hurdles and lack of state support, it can still be assumed in principle that those entitled to protection in Greece are very unlikely to be able to find secure accommodation and secure their livelihood through legal employment or state support” there.
In other words, the court ruling mostly relied on the fact that a return to a normal, productive life for people escaping violence and war was regarded as difficult under the current situation in Greece.
In the first ten months of 2024, at least 21,110 people applied for asylum in Germany after already being granted protection status in Greece, according to numbers cited by the DPA news agency.
Uptick in Greek economy
However, the German government is now encouraging those who already have protection in Greece to return, especially taking into consideration that the country’s economy has been improving.
Although Greece’s unemployment rate remains relatively high in comparison to other EU nations, it recently dipped under the ten-percent mark, which is significantly lower than what it was three years ago.
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