Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer: "A great humanitarian gesture"
News German Presidency of the Council of the EU 16 September 2020
Germany to take in families with children from Greece as well as providing rapid relief on the ground
After the meeting of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Horst Seehofer, Federal Minister of the Interior, Building and Community, said:
"Firstly, it is crucial to provide relief on the ground. We must help the Greek authorities to create decent living conditions on Lesbos as soon as possible. German relief organisations, especially the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) and the German Red Cross, are making huge efforts to help. That is the most important thing: to provide help quickly and create decent living conditions before the winter sets in.
Secondly, we need to help the Greek authorities to reduce overcrowding in shelters. That is what Germany is about to do by taking in persons who have been granted asylum status – families with children. Altogether we will admit 408 families, a total of 1,553 people. I consider that a great humanitarian gesture.
Time and again we have found common European solutions to problems. Take search and rescue at sea, for example, or the admission of unaccompanied minors. These solutions have always involved five to ten member states – a minority within the European Union.
For this reason it is highly important that we make efforts to bring about a common European asylum policy for all member states in the weeks to come. On 23 September, the European Commission will submit a proposal for such a policy. I will then try to bring about as much agreement as possible among member states during Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Everyone must be aware that if the European Union fails to act and define a common migration policy applicable to the EU’s external borders, we are bound to see numerous repetitions of these terrible developments in migration to Europe. That cannot be in anyone’s interest."