efms Migration Report

November 1994

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The government's foreigners' policy

In the coalition negotiations of the governing parties there has been disagreement on the foreigners' policy for the next four years. The CDU rejects an Immigration Law, the FDP calls for concessions regarding the Citizenship Law. General double citizenship will continue to be excluded from the coalition agreement. Within the European Union harmonized refugee policy and asylum laws will be among the objectives.
SZ 4.11.94 // SZ 15.11.94 // dpa 14.11.94

Temporary citizenship as a compromise in the dispute on double citizenship

As a compromise in the dispute of the coalition partners legal equality for non-German youths has been suggested. With the new regulation young non-German people will get a children's citizenship, but have to decide on one citizenship by the age of 18. Lawyers, politicians and migrant organizations rejected the planned model as insufficient and called it just a sham solution.
SZ 14.11.94 // taz 14.11.94 // NN 15.11.94 // dpa 14.11.94 // taz 15.11.94 // FR 17.11.94 // Spiegel 21.11.94 // FAZ 25.11.94 // Zeit 25.11.94

Disagreement among the Laender on foreigners' right to vote in local elections

The CSU in Bavaria strictly refuses the right to vote in local elections for third country nationals, Saxony Anhalt calls for an extension of the right to vote in local elections, which would include non-EU foreigners. The suggestion by SPD, Bündnis 90/Grüne and PDS was based on a call for a better integration of migrants in Germany. The parties' objectives are nation-wide regulations and an initiative in the Bundesrat is called for. The Minister for Social Affairs of North Rhine Westphalia (SPD) champions a foreigners' right to vote in local elections.
SZ 2.11.94 // FR 5.11.94 // SZ 5.11.94 // dpa 12.12.94

Federal Border Police cooperates with airlines in stopping illegal immigration

Thirteen airlines agreed to check the travelling documents of passengers in addition to the airline ticket. They are therefore legally responsible for passengers without valid documents. The measure resulted in a clear drop of illegal entries at German airports.
dpa 8.11.94

German asylum policy continues to be criticised

More and more organisations have been criticising the German asylum policy. According to the synod of the Protestant Church (EKD) some parts of the asylum proceedings, such as the repatriation and the third country regulation, are not in accordance with the Basic Law. The refugee organisation Pro Asyl criticised the interview practice by the authorities which does not aim at finding the truth, but at accelerating repatriation. Lawyers called for a cancellation of the airport proceedings. Doctors criticised the insufficient medical treatment of asylum seekers.
SZ 9.11.94 // FR 18.11.94 // FR 3.12.94 // SZ 10.12.94 // SZ 13.12.94 // taz 3.11.94

Conference of the ministers for the interior: Discussion of repatriation of civil war refugees from former Yugoslavia and of Kurds

The main topic of the conference in Magdeburg on November 25, 1994 is the foreigners' policy. A general stop of repatriation of Kurdish and Yugoslavian refugees - even of Serbian conscientious objectors - which was called for by the SPD-governed Laender, was still rejected by the Federal Minster for the Interior Kanther. Even persons who might be confronted with maltreatment in their country of origin, are now affected by repatriation. The individual Laender can stop the repatriation proceedings for six months, but for longer stops the Federal Ministry for the Interior did not give its permission. A right to stay can only be issued after an investigation of the individual case. In the following months refugees will still be repatriated to former Yugoslavia as there are no repatriation agreements with Serbia.
FAZ 22.11.94 // dpa 25.11.94 // SZ 26.11.94 // taz 26.11.94 // SZ 8.12.94

Reactions on the government's repatriation intentions

Kanther's attitude on the repatriation of refugees triggered a very intense discussion. The treatment of civil war refugees is criticized by refugee organizations, human rights organizations, the Hessian Foreigner's Council, the SPD, the Green Party, the Society for Threatened Peoples, church groups and the bishops of Berlin, the Romany People Union etc. The Laender disagree on how to handle the repatriation stops for refugees from Yugoslavia and for Kurds. Hesse and North Rhine Westphalia want to prevent repatriations. A group of Romany People demonstrated in front of the EU Representation in Bonn against the planned mass repatriation of Romany refugees to former Yugoslavia.
FR 29.11.94 // FR 28.11.94 // dpa 26.11.94 // FR 5.11.94 // dpa 10.11.94 // taz 29.11.94 NN 10.11.94 // FR 17.1.1995 // SZ 24.1.1995

Approximately 1 million guest workers from Eastern Europe employed in Germany

The majority of the Eastern European migrants is illegally employed in various temporary and seasonal contracts, many "border crossers" and day labourers commute to Germany. Among this workforce is a large number of overqualified employees (e.g. academics) and professionals (e.g. musicians, waiters). The basis for the contracts is the "Decree on Exceptions from the General Recruitment Stop"; with this regulation vacancies in various professional groups with lacking staff are filled. From November 1994 the inflows of temporary workers will be stopped by a new directive of the Federal Ministry for Labor. The employment of border crossers with "minor employment contracts" will be prohibited.
Spiegel 21.11.94

New visa requirements for five African countries

In order to stop the large increase of illegal entries from West African countries, especially Togo, which are mostly organized by professional smugglers, the Federal Minster for the Interior Kanther introduced visa requirements for Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Niger. The resulting consequence of this measure is that politically persecuted persons travel via Moscow as Russia is not a secure third country.
SZ 6.12.94 // FR 6.12.94 // SZ 23.11.94

Statistics

The number of asylum applicants increased to 12,056 in November. In the previous month it amounted to 10,237. The number of asylum applicants is about 25% lower than that in November 1993. There are more entries from rump Yugoslavia (2,614), from Turkey (2,198), from Togo (751), from Bosnia Herzegovina (655), Rumania (575) and Afghanistan (507). The Federal Agency for the Recognition of Foreign Refugees decided on 26,343 asylum applications in November.
SZ 6.12.94 // FR 6.12.94

November 1994

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