Germany has suspended admissions of refugees via a UN resettlement programme, the interior ministry said on Tuesday, as a new coalition government that is expected to tighten immigration rules prepares to take office.
Migration has been a contentious issue in coalition negotiations between Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the centre-left Social Democrats, which are expected to conclude within weeks.
The conservatives are advocating a stricter approach to asylum seekers in response to rising support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and several violent incidents involving refugees.
The two sides have struck a preliminary agreement to end voluntary federal admission programmes for refugees such as the U.N. programme - the only one currently active - and not to launch any new ones, according to a document seen by Reuters.
Germany has participated since 2016 in a European Union resettlement scheme that accepts refugees selected by the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR. Most come from Turkey, Egypt, Jordan or Kenya, or from Libya via Rwanda.
The ministry said 4,711 people had arrived in Germany through the programme since 2024, out of the 13,000 refugees that Germany has promised the European Commission it will take in for 2024 and 2025 combined.
Despite the suspension, admissions that are already well advanced, with concrete commitments, will go ahead, a ministry spokesperson said.
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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during last weekend's G20 summit in S...
This weekend's G20 declaration shows a "renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation", South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday....
The United States said it made significant progress on a framework aimed at ending the war in Ukraine during high-level talks in Geneva on Sunday, tho...
Cameras from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on Saturday (November 22) captured Hawaii's Kilauea volcano spewing flowing lava from its crat...
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during last weekend's G20 summit in South Africa, Lee's office on Monday.
This weekend's G20 declaration shows a "renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation", South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.
The United States said it made significant progress on a framework aimed at ending the war in Ukraine during high-level talks in Geneva on Sunday, though no final agreement was reached.
Cameras from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on Saturday (November 22) captured Hawaii's Kilauea volcano spewing flowing lava from its crater in its latest eruption.
The United States is preparing to launch a new round of Venezuela-related operations in the coming days, as President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies efforts to pressure President Nicolás Maduro’s government and targets what it calls Venezuela’s role in the regional drug trade.
Italy captured a remarkable third consecutive Davis Cup title on Sunday, with Matteo Berrettini and Flavio Cobolli securing singles victories in a 2-0 triumph over Spain in Bologna.
Air traffic at Eindhoven Airport in the southern Netherlands was suspended on Saturday evening after multiple drones were sighted near the facility, prompting the deployment of counter-drone systems and raising fresh alarm over airspace security in Europe.
Cameras from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on Saturday (November 22) captured Hawaii's Kilauea volcano spewing flowing lava from its crater in its latest eruption.
Several international airlines have suspended flights from Venezuela after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned of heightened military activity and deteriorating security conditions in the country’s airspace.
Russian forces staged a "massive" drone attack on Sunday on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, killing four people and injuring several others, officials said.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during last weekend's G20 summit in South Africa, Lee's office on Monday.
This weekend's G20 declaration shows a "renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation", South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.
The United States said it made significant progress on a framework aimed at ending the war in Ukraine during high-level talks in Geneva on Sunday, though no final agreement was reached.
U.S. President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has quietly faded out with eight months left on its mandate, as its powers are absorbed into the federal bureaucracy and critics question whether it ever produced real savings.
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