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The federal government offers Greece the assumption of refugee costs.
The aim is to bring asylum seekers back there who are in Germany but are recognized in Greece.
As the Federal Ministry of the Interior announced to WELT AM SONNTAG, “Greece was offered to support appropriate accommodation and care for persons entitled to protection who were to be returned from Germany with its own resources”.
The Federal Republic “would be in a position to guarantee appropriate support very promptly as soon as the Greek government accepts the support offered”.
Among other things, this involves renting Greek hotels for refugees returned from Germany, as WELT AM SONNTAG learned from leading officials.
In addition to the ongoing unauthorized onward journey of asylum seekers, around 1000 refugees who have already been recognized in Greece come to the Federal Republic every month to submit new applications.
They will not be repatriated, mainly because, according to German courts, they are threatened with inadequate care or even homelessness.
Athens officially denies that.
From the beginning of 2020 until today only four people have been transferred to Greece.
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After their recognition, refugees are generally allowed to fly to other member states according to current EU law - if they do not want to stay there for more than 90 days per half-year. Many refugees use this legal situation, which invites abuse, to apply for asylum again in Germany.
The German offer of reimbursement for recognized refugees is part of a long series of support measures for Greece. Since 2016, more than 3.3 billion euros have flowed from EU funds for the accommodation of migrants and the asylum procedure. That is more than any other country in the world has received per admitted. Germany is the EU's most important donor and also helps bilaterally, for example with the Technical Relief Organization in the construction of camps on the islands or by providing almost two thirds of the asylum officers sent to Greece from the EU.
In addition to accepting asylum seekers and persons entitled to protection who have migrated on from Greece, Germany has also flown in a further 2,765 refugees as part of special reception programs since April of the previous year, more than the other EU countries put together. For refugees recognized in Greece, German funds are already flowing into the EU-funded Helios program, which offers rent subsidies and help in finding work. Because all of this is not enough, the new bilateral financing offer is now coming from Berlin.