German Greens Call on Government to Soften EU Asylum Reform

(Bloomberg) -- Germany’s Greens called on Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to change an EU asylum compromise reached this month, revealing cracks within Olaf Scholz’s three-party governing coalition.

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At a party convention in Bad Vilbel, near Frankfurt, a majority of Greens voted on Saturday for a proposal that called on the German government and the EU parliament to soften the asylum regulations for children and women. The vote was a compromise between more radical demands for a complete rejection of the asylum reform, and a more pragmatic, pro-government position.

In a heated hour-long debate, Baerbock and Habeck defended the reform measures agreed to by the bloc’s interior ministers in Luxembourg this month.

Read more: EU Strikes Tentative Deal on Asylum Rules After Years of Trying

“There’s pressure from all sides,” Habeck told the delegates, and warned that the Greens shouldn’t let themselves be cornered. Baerbock defended the compromise, but admitted that she, too, had qualms. “I don’t want to say that all is super. I have also been torn,” she said.

Baerbock and Habeck, who belong to the more pragmatic wing of the Greens, were party leaders until the end of 2021, when they joined the government.

The current party leadership duo, Ricarda Lang and Omid Nouripour, are divided on the issue. Lang opposed the new asylum plan and demands exceptions for children and families; Nouripour supported it.

Read more: Europe Tackles Migration Policy in the Shadow of Russia’s War

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