Up to 27,000 euros!

How EU countries want to persuade Syrians to leave the country

Syrian refugees in the Danish capital Copenhagen: if they return to their home country voluntarily, they can expect a real windfall.

(Bild: AFP)

Following the collapse of the Assad regime, the future of the more than 1.6 million Syrians who have sought refuge within the EU in recent years is highly uncertain. In addition to freezing asylum decisions, many member states are currently discussing how voluntary return could be accelerated. And some are even digging deep into their pockets to do so ...

Austria took the lead on Wednesday and announced that it would pay every Syrian willing to leave the country up to 1000 euros for a "new start". As reported, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) had recently announced his intention to offer support to Syrians wishing to return. There was even talk of organizing flights. In addition, all Syrian asylum applications (currently almost 15,000) will be frozen. Family reunification is also suspended.

The Austrian Ministry of the Interior is helping Syrians who want to return home. The Federal Support Agency (BBU) recently started paying up to 1,000 euros for a "new start".

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA Max Slovencik/APA/picturedesk.com)

Denmark offers each adult 27,000 euros
Now Denmark, led by the Social Democrats (!), is following suit. There, too, the processing of asylum applications from Syrian citizens is being stopped. And even more: adults who return to Syria will receive an average of 200,000 Danish kroner (around 27,000 euros), with each child receiving 50,000 kroner (around 6,700 euros).

Syrians in Denmark

(Bild: AFP)

(Bild: AP)

Danish Integration Minister Kaare Dybvad Bek told Bild newspaper: "Since 2015, just over 5,100 Syrians have emigrated from Denmark - of which almost 600 Syrians with legal residency have been voluntarily repatriated from Denmark to Syria since 2019 with financial support under the repatriation law. I hope that even more people will make use of the offer in light of the new developments."

I hope that in view of the new developments, even more people will take up the offer.

Der dänische Integrationsminister Kaare Dybvad Bek

Prime Ministers with a clear message to Syrians
Denmark's Social Democratic Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who politically belongs to the S&D Group (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament), but is often alone among European Social Democrats in her stance on immigration policy, expects Syrians to return to their homeland to rebuild their country after the fall of Assad's regime: "If I were forced to flee Denmark, I would have a burning desire to return. This is my country, my language and the place where my family has lived for generations," said Frederiksen.

If I were forced to flee Denmark, I would have a burning desire to return. This is my country, my language and the place where my family has lived for generations.

Dänemarks sozialdemokratische Ministerpräsidentin Mette Frederiksen

Scholz: Well-integrated Syrians can stay
Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on the other hand, is putting on the brakes. He does not want to send well-integrated Syrians back to their country. Anyone who speaks German and has an employment contract can feel safe in Germany.

The considerations of other EU countries

Germany: Germany was one of the main host countries for Syrian refugees; Austria's northern neighbor took in almost one million Syrians. Germany's decision to suspend asylum procedures affects more than 47,000 Syrians. In their applications, the civil war and the current political situation in Syria would play an important role in deciding whether or not the applicants are granted asylum, according to a spokesperson for the Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). The German Interior Ministry's deputy spokeswoman, Sonja Kock, explained that "there is the possibility of lowering the priority of asylum decisions", an option the BAMF can fall back on in unclear situations, such as the current one in Syria. This means that asylum decisions are not resolved, but deferred and other asylum decisions take priority, she said.

France and Italy: The French government has followed other European countries and also decided to freeze the asylum procedure. "We have decided to take a measure based on the German model," confirmed a source from the French Foreign Ministry. The Italian government also joined the countries suspending asylum applications late on Monday.

Belgium and the Netherlands: Belgium (more than 4,000 applicants) has also suspended the processing of asylum applications from Syrians. The country's authorities want more clarity about future developments in Syria and the risks of a possible return to the country. "Refugee status is not necessarily forever. If the situation in Syria improves sustainably, I will ask the CGRS (the body responsible for processing asylum applications) to review the refugee status of Syrians who have come here in the last five years," said State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor. In the Netherlands, the cabinet imposed a six-month freeze on decisions on asylum applications from Syrians. This was announced by the Minister for Asylum and Migration, Marjolein Faber, in a letter to the House of Representatives. Syrians whose applications are rejected will not be sent back.

Finland and Sweden: On Tuesday, the immigration authorities of Finland and Sweden also announced that they would stop processing asylum applications from Syrian citizens in response to the fall of Assad.

Spain and Portugal: The Spanish government is not considering suspending asylum procedures for Syrian citizens for the time being, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, said on Tuesday. Portugal has not yet decided whether it will suspend the reception of future migrants, said Prime Minister Luís Montenegro. The country would not send the 1243 refugees it is currently taking in back to Syria after the fall of Assad. "We will not send any of them back, but will take care of their integration and reception," said Montenegro.

Czech Republic, Slovenia and Bulgaria: According to Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, the situation in Syria poses security risks for Europe, but can also be an opportunity for a better life in the country and the return of some Syrian refugees. "To create better living conditions in Syria in the future than those that prevailed under the Assad government," he said. There are currently 328 people of Syrian nationality who have been granted international protection in the Czech Republic in the form of asylum or subsidiary protection, Fiala said. Slovenia is taking a similar approach to Spain. On Wednesday, the Ministry of the Interior announced that the processing of applications for international protection from Syrian nationals in Slovenia will not be suspended for the time being. Data from the Ministry of the Interior shows that Syrians remain the largest group of illegal migrants, with more than 14,000 of them entering the country in the first ten months of the year. Bulgaria has not yet made a decision to suspend the granting of asylum to people from Syria as the situation in the country is still too uncertain, Acting Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov said on Wednesday. "At this time, it is of utmost importance to initiate an inclusive Syrian-led political dialogue in implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254 to ensure an orderly, peaceful and inclusive transition," he emphasized.

100,000 Syrian asylum applications still pending in Europe
Figures published by the European Asylum Agency (EUAA) on Wednesday show that more than 100,000 asylum applications from Syrian citizens were pending across the EU at the end of October. The war in Syria has forced half of the country's 23 million pre-war inhabitants to flee.

"Unclarity of the situation"
The EU foreign ministers will also discuss the situation in Syria at their last meeting before Christmas in Brussels on Monday. There is currently still no clear EU line on how to deal with a new regime or the deportations suspended by several countries. Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) is taking part on behalf of Austria. On Friday, EU diplomats emphasized the "lack of clarity of the situation" and the "uncertain information situation".