Greece freezes decisions on Asylum applications from Syrians

Following Germany and Austria, Greece has also suspended all processes for examining asylum applications from Syrians, following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.

Additionally, no asylum decisions will be issued for a certain period. The country is requesting the EU to provide guidelines on whether the reasons for international protection no longer apply following the collapse of the Assad regime or if the protection remains valid.

At the same time, the Minister of Migration and Asylum, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, is expected to engage with the new EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Mr. Brunner, ahead of the Council of European Interior and Migration Ministers on Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels.

Germany and Austria Suspend Asylum Application Processes for Syrians

It is worth noting that earlier, Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) temporarily suspended all processes for examining asylum applications from Syrians.

“The situation is unclear, and it is very difficult to predict what will happen politically in the country. Serious assessments cannot be made at this time. Any decision now would lack a strong foundation,” a BAMF spokesperson told Der Spiegel.

The BAMF also stated that its decision affects 42,270 pending asylum applications, while there are an additional 46,000 preliminary decisions which, for now, remain unaffected.

Discussions regarding whether Syrians should continue to reside in Germany are already underway. Politicians from the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) are calling for the swift repatriation of Syrians. Jens Spahn, Vice President of the parliamentary group, proposed that the government charter planes and offer €1,000 to each Syrian willing to return, suggesting that Germany, in collaboration with Austria, Turkey, and Jordan, organize a “reconstruction conference” for Syria in the spring. Alexander Throm, the CDU’s spokesperson on domestic policy issues, emphasized that the situation has “changed radically” and that it must be reassessed whether Syrians in Germany still require protection.

The leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), Christian Lindner, expressed the view that the issue of Syrians returning to their homeland should be considered in a second phase. “The first step must be to support Syria’s stability,” he emphasized.

Meanwhile, Austria’s Chancellor, Karl Nehammer, stated earlier today that he had asked the Minister of Interior, Gerhard Karner, to suspend all processes for examining asylum applications from Syrians due to the fall of the regime in Syria.

“I instructed the ministry to prepare a structured program for repatriation and deportation to Syria,” Mr. Nehammer said, clarifying that the family reunification program is also suspended. “The political situation in Syria has fundamentally and rapidly changed in recent days,” Austria’s Ministry of the Interior stated in its announcement.

Closure

According to the ministry’s data, as of November 30 this year, 12,886 asylum cases for individuals of Syrian origin were open at either the first or second stage, 1,146 of which concerned family reunification. The Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) is responsible for first-stage procedures, while the Federal Administrative Court handles second-stage cases.

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