The Bundesrat has cleared the path for the controversial European asylum reform. On Friday, the state chamber approved the legislation already passed by the Bundestag, which transposes the Common European Asylum System (GEAS) into German law. The reform aims to reduce the number of asylum seekers coming to the EU. The most extensive reform of European asylum law to date is set to enter into force on June 12.
The legislative proposals now approved by both the Bundestag and Bundesrat contain numerous restrictions for asylum seekers in Germany as well. The states will be granted the right to establish so-called secondary migration centers. There, applicants who have already received international protection in another EU member state can be accommodated centrally.
Following the completion of proceedings, they are to be immediately returned to the responsible member states. Furthermore, the possibility of conducting asylum procedures at airports for certain groups of individuals is to be expanded.
A key component of the EU-wide reform is that asylum procedures may be processed at the European Union's external borders before entry in the future. Asylum decisions should be made within a few days or weeks. This brings more clarity for those seeking protection and relieves the administration, the federal government argues.
The GEAS also provides for so-called asylum procedure detention. This permits the detention of asylum seekers during the procedure - for example, to clarify identity or to prevent them from going underground. The detention serves accelerated repatriation and may, under certain circumstances, also affect families and children.
Asylum seekers will be permitted to pursue employment after a three-month stay in Germany. This does not apply, however, to people who have not fulfilled their cooperation obligations in the asylum procedure.
With the GEAS, the European Union aims to respond to the challenges in migration policy. The same rules are to apply to all EU states regarding how asylum procedures should proceed. This is intended to ensure that decisions are made according to the same standards everywhere - regardless of in which country an asylum application is filed.
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