Germany ends spat over stricter asylum rules
February 11, 2016
The parents of some unaccompanied refugee children may be allowed to reunite with their children, according to Germany's ruling coalition which reached a compromise on Thursday. The agreement brings an end to a spat that has held up asylum rule reforms in Germany.
"We have found a reasonable solution without changing coalition's decisions," announced Justice Minister Heiko Maas on Thursday."We will allow for humanitarian decisions for vulnerable refugee minors."
Maas, along with Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, said that the parents of underage asylum seekers can be reunited with their children in particular cases of hardship. De Maiziere also emphasized that the compromise does not change the wording of the proposed asylum rules, which will now pass to parliament for debate.
The proposed legislative packet was originally agreed upon weeks ago by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc and their center-left Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partner.
Renewed tensions erupted last weekend, however, after SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel had said he was unaware of the family reunification ban for unaccompanied refugee minors.
Under the proposed asylum legislation, there would be a two-year ban on family reunions for asylum seekers with "subsidiary protection." In an earlier draft of the proposed legislation, unaccompanied minors had been excluded from this group; however, the clause was not part of the bill as agreed upon by cabinet ministers.
The new rules also include redefining so-called "safe countries of origin" and reducing financial support for asylum seekers.
Merkel's government has been under pressure to pass the string of measures in order to stem the tide of refugee arrivals. Around 1.1 million people applied for asylum in Germany last year.
rs/jil (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)