Only 14 refugees residing in Germany have returned to Greece as part of a voluntary program implemented by the German government that allows legal refugees in the country to relocate to the first EU country of entry, according to the online German news outlet Spiegel.
Spiegel notes that interest among eligible refugees currently living in Germany to take advantage of the program is extremely low.
As the news outlet points out, the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) stated that as of May 21, only 14 individuals had returned to Greece. According to the German news site, nearly 100,000 refugees who were granted political protection status in Greece have relocated to Germany over the past five years.
Approximately 2,000 individuals across all German federal states have so far received letters offering voluntary return to Greece, with only 78 expressing interest. In the letter, BAMF promises refugees that they will be met at the airport upon arrival in Greece, provided with accommodation and “full board” for up to four months, and subsequently enrolled in an integration program designed to prepare them for the labor market.
The NGO Pro Asyl harshly criticized the communication from BAMF, accusing the agency of “building castles in the sand” and attempting to pressure refugees into returning to Greece using “misleading information and a questionable support program.”
On April 16, the Federal Administrative Court of Germany in Leipzig ruled that the deportation of unmarried, healthy, able-bodied male refugees to Greece is permissible. The ruling could have significant implications, effectively paving the way for forced deportations to Greece that may affect tens of thousands of refugees.
