Refugee policy: Countries set a deadline for the Chancellery to examine the third

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Chancellor Scholz (m.), Prime Ministers Rhine (l.) and Weil: consultations in Berlin

Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa

The state prime ministers are in agreement across parties on a controversial issue: According to SPIEGEL information, they are calling on Olaf Scholz at their meeting with the Chancellor to present results for examining the so-called third-country solution by the next planned joint round on June 20th .

This emerges from the current draft resolution for the discussions that are currently underway in the Hessian state representation in Berlin.

It is available to SPIEGEL.

The Chancellery has reportedly offered a much more open timeline - there was talk of an examination by summer 2024.

This formulation was obviously too flexible for the countries.

Criticism of Scholz from the Union-led countries

The question is whether the protection status of refugees can also be granted in transit or third countries outside the European Union in the future.

The idea has been propagated for a long time, especially by the CDU and CSU, although representatives of the SPD and the Greens also appeared open to it last year.

At the meeting between the country leaders and the Chancellor last November, Scholz promised to have this checked.

The background to the demand for a specific time frame is criticism of Scholz by the Union-led countries in the run-up to the meeting.

In their view, the Chancellery has done too little to advance implementation since the decisions were made last fall.

Before the deliberations, however, appeals came from the SPD not to fuel the refugee debate in this way - and the states were also made obligated to implement agreements that had been reached.

This time the Prime Minister's meeting with Scholz is different than usual: it was not the Chancellor who invited the state leaders to the government headquarters, but rather he is a guest at the Hesse state representation in Berlin.

The federal state currently chairs the Prime Minister's Conference (MPK).

His presence is limited to discussions on refugee policy.

The countries met in the morning.

In addition to the discussions on refugee policy, a number of other topics are on the agenda: such as energy prices, a pact to accelerate planning, agriculture and a reform of public broadcasting.

It is expected that the talks between the states will continue after the consultations with Scholz.

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