Agency Report –
The German government on Wednesday backed a bill to simplify the process of determining “safe countries of origin” for migrants, a move that could limit applications for asylum.
The measure approved by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Cabinet enables the government to make decisions in future on which countries are listed as safe.
Currently, the categorization must be approved by the Bundesrat, the German upper house of parliament.
Under German asylum law, “safe countries of origin” are seen as those where people are not subject to political persecution or inhuman punishment.
Migrants from those countries are unlikely to see their applications for asylum approved, apart from in exceptional cases.
In addition, deportations back to safe countries face fewer legal obstacles.
The reform must still be approved by the lower house of parliament, however.
Germany’s new government has pledged to tackle irregular migration as one of its main priorities.
The coalition agreement between Merz’s conservative bloc and the centre-left Social Democrats set out that India, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia should be categorized as safe countries of origin first.
The label currently applies to EU member states and a short list of other countries.
In Eastern Europe, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, Georgia and Moldova are all deemed safe, along with Senegal and Ghana in western Africa.
