Germany has temporarily suspended its refugee resettlement program, which focuses on resettling the most vulnerable people, the Welt newspaper reported on Monday.
The recent decision comes amid ongoing coalition negotiations between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democratic Party (SPD). The suspension includes no new applications through the UNHCR resettlement program.
According to Welt newspaper, the suspension will remain in place until a new government is formed. Accordingly, no new applications will be processed, although exceptions will be made for cases where the process has reached advanced stages.
Germany had previously pledged to provide 13,100 resettlement places in 2024 and 2025, and 5,061 people have already been resettled.
Among these is the humanitarian resettlement of Syrian refugees from Turkey, as part of an agreement between the European Union and Turkey in 2016.
The UNHCR hopes to resume the program under the new government, with the expectation that the resettlement program will continue despite the suspension of other programs.
The resettlement program, which began in 2012, is crucial for Syrian refugees, many of whom were resettled from countries such as Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan.
Germany was among the top three countries in the world for resettlement, behind the United States and Canada, with Syrians making up a significant proportion of those resettled.
However, the future of the program is uncertain, especially in light of political changes in the United States, where the new administration of Donald Trump has indicated its intention to withdraw from the resettlement process.
Meanwhile, Germany also faces internal challenges, with local municipalities' capacity to absorb refugees under significant pressure.
Hassan Qaddour - Zaman Al-Wasl
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