EUROPE-MIGRANTS/GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER German interior minister calls for migrant reception 'hotspot' in Hungary, fair distribution of refugees

Record ID: 141660

  • Title: EUROPE-MIGRANTS/GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER German interior minister calls for migrant reception 'hotspot' in Hungary, fair distribution of refugees
  • Date: 7th September 2015
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 7, 2015) (REUTERS) GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER THOMAS DE MAIZIERE ARRIVING FOR STATEMENT CAMERAS (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER, THOMAS DE MAIZIERE, SAYING: "The 'hotspots' are holding zones, if you like, in those countries where people first arrive in Europe - namely Greece and Italy. But now we are also thinking about a so-called 'hotspot' in Hungary after the recent days have shown how urgent that is." JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER, THOMAS DE MAIZIERE, SAYING: "Furthermore, we will introduce regulation saying that if there is a distribution (of refugees) around Europe, which we are fighting for, the rule will be as follows: if somebody has been placed in another European country and still wants to come to Germany, this person will not receive asylum seeker benefits, but will be sent back to the country they were placed in." MICROPHONES (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN INTERIOR MINISTER, THOMAS DE MAIZIERE, SAYING: "We want to significantly reduce asylum seeker benefits for those people who have to leave our country. It cannot be the case that people who have to leave receive the same social benefits as those whose asylum applications are still being processed." DE MAIZIERE LISTENING TO JOURNALIST'S QUESTION
  • Embargoed: 22nd September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA3MW9CBCOHJ81CDHPX84JOPW6R
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: There is an urgent need for a large-scale migrant reception centre in Hungary, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Monday (September 7), after almost 20,000 migrants arrived in Germany over the weekend.
    "'Hotspots' are holding zones, if you like, in those countries where people first arrive in Europe - namely Greece and Italy. But now we are also thinking about a so-called hotspot in Hungary after recent days have shown how urgent that is," de Maiziere told journalists in Berlin, where he was giving a statement following a high-level government meeting on the refugee crisis on Sunday evening (September 6).
    The coalition meeting came at the end of a weekend that saw some 18,000 refugees entering the country after Germany and Austria had agreed with Hungary to waive rules requiring refugees to register an asylum claim in the first EU country they reach.
    Merkel's decision to allow thousands of refugees stranded in Hungary to find a new home in Germany has caused a rift within her conservative bloc with her Bavarian allies accusing her of sending a "totally wrong signal".
    De Maiziere repeated Germany's call for a system to distribute refugees fairly around the bloc, saying that under such a system Germany would ensure refugees who still wanted to come to Germany would be returned to the country they had been allocated.
    "We will introduce regulation saying that if there is a distribution (of refugees) around Europe, which we are fighting for, the rule will be as follows: if somebody has been placed in another European country and still wants to come to Germany, this person will not receive asylum seeker benefits, but will be sent back to the country they were placed in," he said.
    The interior minister added that Germany wanted all Western Balkan countries to be regarded as safe countries of origin, thereby speeding up the process of sending back migrants who did not receive refugee status and thus could not stay in Germany. These people would also see their benefits cut, he said.
    "We want to significantly reduce asylum seeker benefits for those people who have to leave our country. It cannot be the case that people who have to leave receive the same social benefits as those whose asylum applications are still being processed," de Maiziere said.
    Germany has said it is willing to take in many refugees, but a quota system has faced resistance from European Union member states who say they cannot cope with such numbers.
    An EU source said on Monday that the EU executive has drawn up a new set of national quotas under which Germany will take in more than 40,000 and France 30,000 of a total of 160,000 asylum-seekers it says should be relocated from Italy, Greece and Hungary.
    European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is due to unveil new proposals on Wednesday (September 9). EU officials have said he will propose adding 120,000 people to be relocated on top of a group of 40,000 the Commission previously proposed relocating.
    The initial proposal to relocate refugees arriving in Italy and Greece would also be expanded to include refugees arriving in Hungary.
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