Germany's government will allocate 40 million euros this year to support migrants who choose to return to their country of origin. Germany's migration office has said some 430,000 asylum requests still remain unanswered.
Image: Getty Images/S. Gallup
Advertisement
The new head of Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) said in an interview published Wednesday that she expects the number of rejected asylum seekers voluntarily retuning to their country of origin to markedly increase in 2017.
"The numbers will clearly rise," Jutta Cordt told the German daily "Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung," referring to the 40 million euros ($37.5 million) in funding the federal government has allocating for the 'voluntary return' program.
Last year, Germany supported some 54,000 asylum seekers who opted to return home as part of a scheme, costing around 21.5 million euros.
"The earlier people decide to return to their home countries, the more support we will be able to offer," Cordt said.
However, she said around 430,000 requests remained unanswered, many of which date back to 2015 or earlier. She described the outstanding requests as a "great strain" on the office and said, under her leadership, the BAMF would aim to work through all requests by the end of the spring.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Karmann
Willing and reluctant returnees
Announcing the "voluntary return" incentive plan last month, Germany's Development Ministry argued that many migrants from Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkan regions had shown a willingness to return home. Development Minister Gerd Mueller said the money was supposed give rejected asylum seekers the security that "Germany will remain their reliable partner after their return and make a new start easier."
By contrast, Günter Burkhardt, director of refugee rights organization Pro Asyl, has called the program a "placebo" designed to win votes.
Speaking to DW in December, Burkhardt said: "If we're talking about Afghanistan, where there is armed conflict in 31 out of 34 provinces - if people return there they will find themselves in a destroyed country where several hundred thousand people are also currently being forced to return from Pakistan and Iran."
dm/rt (dpa, KNA)
How did Europe's refugee crisis start?
From escalating violence in the Middle East and Africa to incoherent asylum policy at home - DW looks at how the EU has found itself in the midst of a refugee crisis.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Fleeing war and poverty
In late 2014, with the war in Syria approaching its fourth year and Islamic State making gains in the north of the country, the exodus of Syrians intensified. At the same time, others were fleeing violence and poverty in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Niger and Kosovo.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Seeking refuge over the border
Vast numbers of Syrian refugees had been gathering in border-town camps in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan since 2011. By 2015, with the camps full to bursting and residents often unable to find work or educate their children, more and more people decided to seek asylum further afield.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A long journey on foot
In 2015 an estimated 1.5 million people made their way on foot from Greece towards western Europe via the "Balkan route". The Schengen Agreement, which allows passport-free travel within much of the EU, was called into question as refugees headed towards the wealthier European nations.
Image: Getty Images/M. Cardy
Desperate sea crossings
Tens of thousands of refugees were also attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean on overcrowded boats. In April 2015, 800 people of various nationalities drowned when a boat traveling from Libya capsized off the Italian coast. This was to be just one of many similar tragedies - by the end of the year, nearly 4,000 refugees were reported to have died attempting the crossing.
Image: Reuters/D. Zammit Lupi
Pressure on the borders
Countries along the EU's external border struggled to cope with the sheer number of arrivals. Fences were erected in Hungary, Slovenia, Macedonia and Austria. Asylum laws were tightened and several Schengen area countries introduced temporary border controls.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/B. Mohai
Closing the open door
Critics of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open-door" refugee policy claimed it had made the situation worse by encouraging more people to embark on the dangerous journey to Europe. By September 2016, Germany had also introduced temporary checks on its border with Austria.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Striking a deal with Turkey
In early 2016, the EU and Turkey signed an agreement under which refugees arriving in Greece could be sent back to Turkey. The deal has been criticized by human rights groups and came under new strain following a vote by the European Parliament in November to freeze talks on Turkey's potential accession to the EU.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Altan
No end in sight
With anti-immigration sentiment in Europe growing, governments are still struggling to reach a consensus on how to handle the continuing refugee crisis. Attempts to introduce quotas for the distribution of refugees among EU member states have largely failed. Conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere show no signs coming to an end, and the death toll from refugee sea crossings is on the rise.
