EU ministers to discuss migration as Germany pushes through radical asylum proposal with far-right help – Europe live
EU ministers to discuss migration as Germany pushes through radical asylum proposal with far-right help – Europe live
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EU internal affairs and migration commissioner Magnus Brunner has just been speaking in Warsaw. The Austrian said that while the EU has changed its migration and asylum policy last year, there is still more to be done on returns. “Nobody understands why people [who] are not allowed to, cannot stay in the European Union are not going to be returned, and that is why are are working on new, tigher rules also on returns,” he said.
![[Magnus Brunner at a meeting in Cyprus earlier this month.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/3e9e37c21a591ddbb1b04e3c820961dee979d0c8/0_304_5359_3216/master/5359.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Asked specifically about the German motion passed last night, he said the EU needed to have a look at what was actually in the proposal. A day after Germany’s conservative opposition, relying on the votes of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party, pushed through a motion calling for a radical overhaul of the country’s migration and asylum policy, EU justice and home affairs ministers meet in Warsaw to discuss… migration.
![[Migrants stand amid tents set inside an abandoned warehouse, where some migrants are taking shelter during the winter months, in Marck, near Calais, northern France.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8c6235d38677f21456da31e48c0aaff457db51eb/0_341_6000_3600/master/6000.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Critics say the German proposals, proposed by the CDU/CSU which is leading in the polls ahead of next month’s general election and could soon find itself in power in Berlin, could breach EU laws. Current chancellor Olaf Scholz warned yesterday that his government “pushed the boundaries” of what is possible but insisted that “we cannot and must not go beyond the law,” or Germany’s reputation as a law-abiding ally would be at risk.
However, most Germans seem to disagree as over 60% back the controversial proposals - including a majority of those Scholz’s voters. In this context, EU justice and home affairs ministers gather in Warsaw this morning for an “informal meeting” to discuss migration management, among other things. Hope they have some good ideas.
