The number of asylum seekers from the Republic of Moldova going to Germany rose from 111 in June to 231 in July and 431 in August, IPN reports, with reference to infomigrants.net.
A letter sent by interior ministry state secretary Helmut Teichmann to Berlin’s senator for integration, Elke Breitenbach, at the beginning of September expressed concern that “Berlin accounts for a conspicuously high proportion of the initial and subsequent applications submitted by Moldovans nationwide, at around 80%”.
The letter also underscored the fact that in over 1,500 asylum decisions taken by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) involving Moldovan nationals this year, not a single case of international protection or even a ban on deportation was recognized. Furthermore, the state secretary referred to the nature of this development as “explosive”, says infomigrants.net.
Moldova effectively ranks fifth on the list of main countries of origin for asylum applicants after Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Turkey. A year ago, hardly any asylum seekers from the ex-Soviet republic had come to Germany.
The document went on to say that abuse of the asylum system by migrants who are not in need of protection is an issue that should not be underestimated “in terms of its importance for the acceptance (of migrants and refugees) in society as a whole.”
Teichmann implied in the letter that the main incentive for the migration movement could be financial. He said that any welfare benefits paid to asylum seekers in Germany should only be paid one month in advance at a time in order to stop the incentive of people travelling to Germany to claim money from the government while awaiting the decision in the asylum case. Limiting benefit payments could limit the creation of incentives for people and human traffickers to abuse of Germany’s benefits system.
The sharp rise in numbers comes after a new, pro-Western government was formed in Moldova in June -- however, it is unclear whether the change in political direction in the country has had any concrete role to play in these developments, reports infomigrants.net.
