Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for fair burden sharing in terms of taking in refugees, both with Turkey and within the EU. Refugees ought to be given the chance to live decently close to their homes.
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At the annual meeting of the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA), Chancellor Angela Merkel pointed out that Turkey has taken in two million refugees. "We must do more, in the form of financial support for Turkey, but also in the form of legal migration, with quotas or contingents, to share the burden, while refugees must be offered a better life in Turkey." This will be one of the points on the agenda at the EU-Turkey summit on Sunday.
The European Union has not provided adequate funding for the UN programmes – the World Food Programme and the programme of the UN Refugee Agency. "As living conditions continue to deteriorate, the problems naturally come to us too. If we fight the root causes of the problem, we will reduce the number of refugees," said Angela Merkel.
In the general debate on the national budget in the German Bundestag on Wednesday, Angela Merkel called for Europe-wide contingents to order and steer refugee movements. It is a matter of replacing illegality with legality, and thus clamping down on gangs of human traffickers. The aim must be to reduce the number of refugees arriving in Germany, she said.
"The problem will not be solved simply by sealing off our borders," she said. People are fleeing terrorism. That is why she advocates "legal contingents" for refugees, to be agreed Europe-wide. The contingents will also ease the burden on Syria’s neighbours, including Turkey.
Refugees must be distributed in a spirit of solidarity, according to the economic strength and circumstances of the host countries. A permanent allocation mechanism is also needed. This is not a trifle, said the Chancellor in the German Bundestag. "It is a question of whether the Schengen Area can be retained in the long term."
Speaking in the German Bundestag, Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier stressed how important it is to stabilise the crescent in crisis, that stretches from Libya to the Middle East. The breeding ground for terrorism and extremism must be eliminated. "Only then will we manage to develop genuine prospects again for the people," said the Federal Foreign Minister. This is why stabilisation and crisis prevention is one main thrust of the Federal Foreign Office.
In the field of humanitarian aid, other states too must do more, demanded Federal Development Minister Gerd Müller in an interview with the television channel Phoenix. "The USA and Russia, but also the Arab states, must demonstrate their solidarity to a far greater extent," he said.
In his speech, Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière reminded his audience of all that has been achieved over the last few weeks. "The number of decisions made on asylum applications in November was 60% up on the September figure. And that is only the start."
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) will be able to employ 4,000 more staff next year. The federal states are to receive support, with another 150 posts created for federal police officers and other measures to assist with repatriation measures.
Thomas de Maizière stressed, "We will pay dearly for what we fail to do now in terms of prevention and integration – in every way. Prevention and integration are also a way of creating greater security." In the 2016 budget, an additional 326 million euros have been earmarked for integration measures.
Integrating refugees was also an item on the agenda of the annual meeting of the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations on Tuesday. The Chancellor thanked employers for their engagement for refugees. She called on her audience to use internships and placements to identify the potential of individuals. This should be undertaken in cooperation with the Federal Employment Agency (BA).
The process of dovetailing the Federal Employment Agency and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees was described by the Chancellor as an "intelligent structure". A standardised identity card for refugees can help overcome the "classic discrepancies" between local authorities, federal states and national government. It could be a good example of how to better resolve other cases in which responsibility is shared by different government levels in future, stressed Angela Merkel.