– The federal government promotes independent advice on the asylum procedure – the traffic light coalition wanted to speed up the process. Now the state financing of the offers is in question.
According to the welfare associations concerned, the Federal Ministry of the Interior wants to stop funding for independent advice on asylum procedures from next year. The providers of the consultations were informed about this, reported the “Correctiv” portal and the editorial network Germany (RND). In response to a dpa request, the German Caritas Association, one of the advisory bodies, said that the ministry had announced that it would no longer finance independent advice for those seeking protection in the asylum procedure from 2027. Diakonie also confirmed this to the German Press Agency (dpa).
“We consider this decision to be a short-sighted wrong decision,” criticized Caritas board member Oliver Müller, who is responsible for migration. “The practical experience of our advice centers shows that early, qualified advice for asylum seekers makes asylum procedures faster and more efficient,” and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees is noticeably relieved. “Unsuccessful lawsuits are filed less often.”
Diakonie President Rüdiger Schuch spoke of a “serious mistake”. By abolishing asylum procedure advice, the federal government would be contradicting its self-imposed goal of bringing more order to migration, he told dpa. “Without this advice, the procedures would take longer instead of shorter. That cannot be the aim of the federal government.”
Ministry: Budget talks are crucial, still pending
RND and “Correctiv” quoted a ministry spokesman as saying that decisions on the allocation of funds take place as part of the budget negotiations. These are still to come in 2027. When asked, the ministry did not want to provide any further information.
The president of the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (Awo), Michael Groß, told the RND that after “all the attacks on the right to asylum,” civil society is now being actively pushed back from supporting refugees.
Green budget politician Leon Eckert told the RND: “In its decision, the Ministry of the Interior relies on alleged austerity constraints in the individual plan as well as an evaluation result that it is simultaneously keeping under wraps.” He accused Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) of flying blind in terms of migration policy and humanitarianism. “As with the decision to massively restrict admission to integration courses, Dobrindt is actively preventing a migration policy based on participation and equal opportunities.”
Decision from traffic light times
The then traffic light coalition decided on state funding for independent asylum procedure advice at the end of 2022 – as part of a law to speed up asylum procedures. The Union, which now governs together with the SPD, criticized this at the time. The coalition agreement of the current federal government provides for the consultation to be evaluated with an open mind.
“We agreed in the coalition agreement to evaluate the work so far and then decide together on the best possible advice for refugees,” said SPD member of the Bundestag Hakan Demir “Correctiv”. “Especially for vulnerable groups, we know how important it is not just to talk to representatives of the authorities about an upcoming asylum procedure. We therefore continue to advocate for independent asylum procedure advice.”
