Switzerland has been criticized for “waving through” migrants
German authorities have criticized Switzerland for allowing migrants to transit to neighboring countries instead of sending them back, as required by European agreements.
This content was published on October 30, 2022 – 14:28
Keystone-SDA/NZZ on Sunday/sb
Every week, around a thousand migrants reach Switzerland’s eastern border near Buchs, in the canton of St. Gallen. It is mostly young Afghans who do not apply for asylum but want to travel on to France or Germany.
“We formally allow them to continue their journey,” confirmed the St. Gallen cantonal police on Sunday to the newspaper “NZZ am Sonntag”. However, this practice has triggered criticism in Germany.
“If these reports are correct, Switzerland will simply wave people through,” said Andrea Lindholz, deputy chairwoman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, the newspaper. “National egoism is damaging the Schengen area.”
Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, but is part of Europe’s passport-free Schengen area.
A spokesman for the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees also said that the Swiss practice violated the Schengen Dublin Agreement. “The legal position is clear. A simple transit is not possible, ”said the official.
The Dublin Agreement is an EU law that determines which country is responsible for examining a person’s application for asylum. This is usually the country where the asylum seeker first arrives in the EU.
Lindholz wants the Swiss government to step in as more migrants travel to Germany via Switzerland.
“Switzerland must fulfill its obligations as a member of the Schengen area and act against illegal migration,” she said.
The Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) rejects the criticism from Germany.
“Switzerland does not forward migrants. Switzerland is not waving through, »said SEM spokesman Daniel Bach to the NZZ on Sunday.
Neither the Dublin Agreement nor any other law will be broken. There is no legal basis for detaining these people, he said. “The Dublin procedure cannot be carried out for people who are no longer present,” he explained.
“As a Schengen member, Switzerland is actively fighting irregular migration,” emphasized Bach.
Europe must cope with a new influx of migrants. The number of irregular crossings into the European Union has reached its highest level since 2016, the European border protection agency Frontex announced in mid-October.
The consequence for Switzerland: Almost 700 people come to its eastern border via the Balkans every week – about three times as many as last winter. Although applications for refugee status have increased, most of these migrants have no desire to remain in Switzerland. They want to continue to France or Great Britain.
An investigation in early October from Swiss public television SRFexternal linknoted that Switzerland allows migrants to transit to neighboring countries instead of sending them back as required.
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