Germany, the largest economy in the European Union, will temporarily not accept any new refugees under the United Nations refugee resettlement program. This information was reported by the German news agency DPA on Tuesday (April 8), citing the German Ministry of the Interior and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The news agency Reuters contacted the ministry to learn the reason behind the suspension. However, no official from the Interior Ministry was willing to comment immediately. Reuters also attempted to get a response from the UNHCR but did not receive any comment.
Immigration Playing a Key Role in Government Formation
Germany held parliamentary elections on February 23 this year. Immigration was one of the most discussed topics in the country’s politics during this election. In recent years, several violent attacks in Germany have been linked to refugees and asylum seekers. As a result, the anti-immigration far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) performed well in the elections, securing the second-highest number of votes.
Even after the elections, immigration continues to be a hot topic in Germany. The conservative CDU/CSU, which received the most votes, is in talks to form a coalition government with the Social Democrats, who came in third. Immigration has become a major issue in these discussions as well.
To control irregular immigration, Germany introduced border controls with nine neighboring countries starting from September 16 last year. The government has decided to maintain these controls until September 15 this year. The CDU/CSU wants to send back asylum seekers coming from so-called “safe countries” right at the border. This issue is also under debate.
Although the government formation talks have not yet concluded, the two potential coalition partners have reached consensus on some issues. According to a document seen by Reuters, they have agreed not to launch any new refugee resettlement programs. Moreover, the two parties’ top leaders have also agreed to shut down existing resettlement programs as much as possible.
The Interior Ministry stated that as part of the EU’s resettlement program, Germany had initially planned to accept 6,560 refugees this year. Under this program, refugees or stateless people from countries such as Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Libya are usually given shelter.
Asylum Applications Decline in Germany
Germany is no longer the top country for asylum applications in the EU. In the first three months of this year, France and Spain surpassed Germany in the number of asylum applications, according to a secret document from the EU, reported by the German daily Welt am Sonntag on Monday (April 7).
From January to March, more asylum applications were filed in France and Spain than in Germany. Eurostat’s February data also reflected this trend. In February this year, 12,775 new asylum applications were filed in Germany, while France received the highest with 13,065 applications and Spain was second with 12,975.
Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) reported on April 7 that the number of first-time asylum applications from January to March decreased by nearly 45% compared to 2024. As in previous years, most asylum seekers are from Syria, Afghanistan, and Turkey.
BAMF also noted that at least 41,000 asylum applications were filed in Germany during the first three months of this year. However, the agency did not publish data from other EU countries.
In March alone, fewer than 9,000 applications were submitted. This is the first time in several years that the monthly total has dropped below 10,000.
Even last year, Germany topped the list for asylum applications. In 2024, the country received 250,615 asylum applications. Spain came in second with 166,175, and Italy followed with 158,605 applications.