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The Union and the SPD agree: Germany wants to take in 1,553 additional immigrants
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SPD president Esken and chancellor candidate Scholz on the admission of refugees
SPD President Saskia Esken and SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz comment on the admission of refugees after the destruction of the Moria camp. See their explanation here.
After the Moria fire, the federal government wants to take in 1,553 more refugees from Greece. The Union and the SPD agreed on this. The agreement stipulates that not only people from Lesbos can come to Germany.
meIn the federal government there is an agreement between the Union and the SPD in the dispute over the admission of immigrants from Greece. 1553 more refugees will arrive in Germany, as Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced in Berlin on Tuesday.
The agreement states that 408 families from five Greek islands, not just Lesbos, can go to Germany. Families have already been recognized as in need of protection in Greece. The admission of the 1,553 people is added as a second step to the up to 150 unaccompanied minors, whose admission had already been promised by the federal Interior Minister, Horst Seehofer (CSU), last week.
In a third step, additional people should be admitted if there are agreements with other European countries.
Germany accepts a total of 2,750 immigrants
In all, the federal government is accepting 2,750 people from Greece, government spokesman Steffen Seibert announced in a message. The number is made up of 1,553 people from 408 families, up to 150 migrant minors and other migrants who have already been accepted or are in implementation.
“53 unaccompanied minor asylum seekers have already been admitted,” continues Seibert. The admission of 243 children in need of treatment and their main families is being implemented. This is likely to affect at least 1,000 people, of which more than 500 are already in Germany. “The total number of people that Germany is taking over the Greek islands is around 2,750.”
Esken: “Big step for Germany”
“This means that relief will be possible everywhere, including in Moria,” SPD leader Saskia Esken said in Berlin on Tuesday of the agreement with the Union. She spoke of a “great step for Germany”. Vice Chancellor Scholz emphasized that the admission of 1,553 refugees was an “independent contribution” from Germany to support Greece after the fire in the Moria camp. The next step would be a European agreement to host more refugees: Germany also wants to participate. “We need something that has been agreed with everyone as a general concept.”
Before the talks with the Union, Esken had asked Germany to accept several thousand immigrants from Greece in addition to offers of aid that had already been made. Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) agreed on Tuesday that around 1,500 more immigrants could arrive in Germany. According to information from dpa, the proposal has already been discussed with the Greek government. CSU President Markus Söder called the proposal a “very good compromise.”
During a visit to Athens, the President of the EU Council, Charles Michel, highlighted the need to reform the European asylum system. “We have to develop a fair and strong response to fight smugglers and a new asylum system,” he said after a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Host Mitsotakis announced a new camp on the island of Lesbos, to be built under the joint leadership of the EU and Greece.
After the Camp Moria fire last week, more than 12,000 refugees are homeless on the island of Lesbos. According to aid organizations, the food and water supply situation is difficult.
Faced with the devastating conditions of yesteryear in Moria, Scholz emphasized that there is no agreement if accommodations are operated that do not correspond to the principles that are important in this country.
Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder criticized the Austrian government for its refusal to accept refugees from the Greek camp of Moria. Söder said in Munich on Tuesday that he was disappointed in the Vienna government that it did not give up its rigid stance in favor of “a little more cordiality.” The Vienna government, led by the CSU’s sister party, ÖVP, does not want to host any of the 12,000 refugees from Moria who have been made homeless, but wants to help on the spot in Greece. Söder said he was also disappointed by the Austrian Greens, who did not speak further in the black-green coalition on this point.
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