Germany wants to return refugees to country of registration

In an interview with Greece’s Kathimerini newspaper, the German interior minister said that he wanted to reinstate the Dublin convention, which provides refugee status in the country of registration.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

03 October, 2016

Germany's interior minister wants to reinstate the 1997 Dublin convention [Getty]

Germany's interior minister told a Greek newspaper yesterday that he wanted to see a greater number of Syrian refugees returned to the countries they were registered in.

Thomas de Maiziere said in an interview with Greece's Kathimerini newspaper that Greece had a legal duty to receive the refugees and they received sufficient aid to host large numbers of refugees already.

"I would like the Dublin convention to be applied again," said Maiziere.

"The Dublin Treaty provides that asylum procedures must be carried out in the country in which asylum seekers have entered for the first time."

Maiziere said that a meeting of European interior ministers would be held in October where the details of the convention would be discussed.

"The treaty will not apply only to Greece but also for other european countries," he said.

We recognize the burden has been borne by Greece in recent years, but this does not render it necessary to implement a strategy that will restore the legal situation
-German interior minister

According to the 1997 Dublin agreement, refugees should be returned to the country they were registered in, even if they have been settled elsewhere in europe.

"We recognise the burden has been borne by Greece in recent years, but this does not render it necessary to implement a strategy that will restore the legal situation," Maiziere said.