logo
Germany Presses Ahead With Deportations To Afghanistan

Germany Presses Ahead With Deportations To Afghanistan

Germany said Friday it had deported 81 Afghan men convicted of crimes to their Taliban-controlled homeland, as Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government looks to signal a hard line on immigration.
Europe's top economy was forging ahead with a "policy change", said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, who was also hosting several European counterparts for a migration meeting.
"Deportations to Afghanistan must continue to be carried out safely in the future. There is no right of residence for serious criminals in our country," he said.
The interior ministry said the plane took off Friday morning bound for Afghanistan, adding that all the deportees were under expulsion orders and were convicted by the criminal justice system.
Germany had stopped deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban's return to power in 2021.
But expulsions resumed last year, when the previous government of Social Democrat (SPD) chancellor Olaf Scholz expelled a group of 28 Afghan convicts.
Berlin has had only indirect contact with the Taliban authorities through third parties, with Friday's operation executed with the help of Qatar, said the interior ministry.
Following the announcement, the United Nations said no one should be sent back to Afghanistan, whatever their status.
The UN human rights commissioner called for an "immediate halt to the forcible return of all Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers, particularly those at risk of persecution, arbitrary detention or torture upon their return", spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.
Amnesty International directly criticised the deportations, saying the situation in Afghanistan was "catastrophic" and that "extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances and torture are commonplace".
Merz defended the expulsions at a press conference, saying he was "grateful" to be able to deliver on a promise he had made when entering government.
None of those deported "had a residence status anymore. All asylum applications were legally rejected without further legal recourse," he said. "This is why this deportation and this flight were possible."
The deportations were among a number of "corrections" made to immigration policy by his government, including tightening border controls and limiting family reunification rights for some refugees.
Merz however said policing Germany's borders was only a "temporary" fix and a durable solution was needed at the European level.
To that end, Dobrindt was meeting his Austrian, Danish, Czech, French and Polish counterparts, as well as European Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner, in southern Germany.
The aim of the meeting was to "strengthen European migration policy", Dobrindt told the Augsburger Allgemeine daily.
Migration has become a central issue on the German political agenda in tandem with the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
The AfD scored a historic election result of over 20 percent in February -- its highest-ever score at the national level -- leaving the party nipping on the heels of Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc.
The controversy over immigration has been fuelled by a series of deadly attacks where the suspects were asylum seekers -- including several from Afghanistan.
Germany's new government, a coalition between the CDU/CSU and SPD, has promised to expel more foreign criminals alongside a crackdown on irregular migration.
As well as carrying out deportations to Afghanistan, Dobrindt has said he was in contact with authorities to enable deportations to Syria, which have been suspended since 2012.
Longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December, and the country is now under the control of Islamist leaders, some of whom were once linked with the Al-Qaeda jihadist network.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

What We Know So Far About The EU-US Trade Deal
What We Know So Far About The EU-US Trade Deal

Int'l Business Times

time2 hours ago

  • Int'l Business Times

What We Know So Far About The EU-US Trade Deal

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen clinched an agreement Sunday with US President Donald Trump to avoid crippling tariffs from hitting the bloc, with both leaders hailing a "good deal". The stakes were high with a looming August 1 deadline and $1.9 trillion transatlantic trading relationship on the line. Many European businesses will breathe a sigh of relief after the leaders agreed the 27-country bloc will face a baseline levy of 15 percent instead of a threatened 30 percent -- but the deal will not satisfy everyone. Here is what we know so far: Both sides confirmed there will be a 15-percent across-the-board rate on a majority of EU goods -- the same level secured by Japan this month -- with bilateral tariff exemptions on some products. The deal will bring relief for the bloc's auto sector, employing around 13 million people -- and hit by Trump with 25-percent tariffs, on top of a pre-existing 2.5 percent. "Obviously, it is good news for the car industry. So Germany will be happy. And all the EU members with auto supply chains, they go from 27.5 to 15 percent," said Jacob Funk Kirkegaard of the Peterson Institute For International Economics. A 15-percent levy will remain "costly" for German automakers, "but it is manageable", said trade geopolitics expert Elvire Fabry at the Jacques Delors Institute. While 15 percent is much higher than pre-existing US tariffs on European goods -- averaging 4.8 percent -- it mirrors the status quo, with companies currently facing an additional flat rate of 10 percent imposed by Trump since April. The EU also committed to buy $750 billion of liquefied natural gas, oil and nuclear fuels from the United States -- split equally over three years -- to replace Russian energy sources. And it will pour $600 billion more in additional investments in the United States. Trump said EU countries -- which recently pledged to ramp up their defence spending within NATO -- would be purchasing "hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of military equipment". Von der Leyen said the 15-percent rate applied across most sectors, including semiconductors and pharmaceuticals -- a critical export for Ireland, which the bloc has sought to protect. Trump in April launched probes that could lead to significantly steeper tariffs on the two key sectors, warning this month he could slap 200-percent levies on drugs. Brussels and Washington agreed a bilateral tariff exemption for key goods including aircraft, certain chemicals, semiconductor equipment, certain agricultural products and critical raw materials, von der Leyen said. The EU currently faces 50-percent tariffs on its steel exports to the United States, but von der Leyen said a compromise on the metal had been reached with Trump. "Between us, tariffs will be cut and a quota system will be put in place," she said. It is understood that European steel would be hit with 50-percent levies only after a certain amount of the metal arrived in the United States, but no details were initially provided on the mechanism. The deal needs to be approved by EU member states, whose ambassadors will meet first thing Monday morning for a debrief from the European Commission. And there are still technical talks to come, since the agreement needs to be fully fleshed out. Von der Leyen described the deal as a "framework" agreement. "Details have to be sorted out, and that will happen over the next weeks," she said. In particular, she said there has yet to be a final decision on alcohol, critical since France and The Netherlands have been pushing for carve-outs for wine and beer respectively. "This is something which has to be sorted out in the next days," von der Leyen said.

US and EU reach trade deal to avoid tariffs – DW – 07/27/2025
US and EU reach trade deal to avoid tariffs – DW – 07/27/2025

DW

time5 hours ago

  • DW

US and EU reach trade deal to avoid tariffs – DW – 07/27/2025

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has managed to negotiate a 15% US tariff. The United States and the European Union on Sunday reached a trade deal, ending a months-long transatlantic trade standoff. "We have reached a deal. It's a good deal for everybody," US President Donald Trump told reporters after talks with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland. Ahead of the crunch talks, Trump gave "a good 50-50 chance" on Friday for a deal with the European Union to be reached. Brussels was seeking to finalize a trade agreement with Washington before the August 1 deadline. The trade pact means the bloc would avoid the 30% tariffs that Trump has threatened on all goods from the EU. Most EU goods already face a 10% tariff, with levies of 25% on cars and car parts and 50% on steel and aluminum. On Sunday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the August 1 deadline was firm. "No extensions, no more grace periods. August 1, the tariffs are set, they'll go into place, Customs will start collecting the money and off we go," Lutnick told the US broadcaster Fox News. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video European negotiators were aiming for a baseline levy of around 15 percent on EU exports to the US — the level secured by Japan. Any deal will need to be approved by all member states. EU ambassadors, on a visit to Greenland, were updated on the negotiations by the Commission on Sunday morning, and would meet again after any agreement.

Trump meets EU chief in push to clinch trade deal – DW – 07/27/2025
Trump meets EU chief in push to clinch trade deal – DW – 07/27/2025

DW

time6 hours ago

  • DW

Trump meets EU chief in push to clinch trade deal – DW – 07/27/2025

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen is hoping to strike a trade deal with the US before August 1, to avoid a transatlantic trade war. Trump describes the prospect of an agreement as "50-50." US President Donald Trump is meeting with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland on Sunday, as Brussels seeks to finalize a trade agreement with Washington before the August 1 deadline. Ahead of the meeting, Trump gave "a good 50-50 chance" on Friday for a deal with the European Union to be reached. Von der Leyen has been pushing hard for a trade pact that would see the bloc avoid the 30% tariffs that Trump has threatened on all goods from the EU. Most EU goods already face a 10% tariff, with levies of 25% on cars and car parts and 50% on steel and aluminum. On Sunday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the August 1 deadline was firm. "No extensions, no more grace periods. Aug. 1, the tariffs are set, they'll go into place, Customs will start collecting the money and off we go," Lutnick told the US broadcaster Fox News. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video According to an EU diplomat briefed ahead of the meeting, set for 4:30 p.m. (1530 GMT), key issues still need to be hammered out. "A political deal is on the table — but it needs the sign-off from Trump, who wants to negotiate this down to the very last moment," the diplomat told AFP. European negotiators are aiming for a baseline levy of around 15 percent on EU exports to the US — the level secured by Japan. Any deal will need to be approved by all member states. EU ambassadors, on a visit to Greenland, were updated on the negotiations by the Commission on Sunday morning, and would meet again after any agreement.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store