The Interior Ministers of France, Poland, Austria, Denmark and the Czech Republic as well as the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, have been invited.
Countries call for more returns and third country regulations
According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, a so-called migration agenda is to be developed as part of the summit, which will formulate clear demands for the EU. These include, for example:
- a significantly higher number of returns of rejected asylum seekers
- Increased controls at the EU's external borders
- New readmission agreements with third countries
- closer cooperation in the fight against smuggling networks
Deportations to third countries should be made easier
The summit will focus on talks about the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). The EU Parliament already agreed on a reform in 2024, the measures of which are to be implemented in all member states by mid-2026.
Federal Interior Minister Dobrindt now wants to go one step further: He is calling for additional tightening of the asylum rules. He is primarily concerned with the so-called "connecting element" between asylum seekers and the third countries to which they are to be returned.
According to current EU law, people seeking protection may only be deported to third countries if they have a personal connection to this country - for example through family or a previous stay. Dobrindt wants to abolish this rule. In future, deportations to countries to which refugees have no connection should also be possible.
This approach is similar to the British "Rwanda model", in which asylum seekers are deported to distant third countries. The model is highly controversial in the EU. Human rights organizations warn that it could undermine key protection standards of refugee law.
EU tightens Common Asylum System (CEAS) until 2026
The EU reform of 2024 comprises ten laws and provides for, among other things
- Faster asylum procedures at the external borders: In future, people seeking protection should be registered directly at the EU's external borders and their right to asylum should be checked quickly before they even enter EU territory. In the event of a rejection, they will be quickly returned to their country of origin or a third country classified as safe.
- Relaxation of the classification of safe third countries: In future, countries will be considered safe if they meet basic legal standards, even if they do not implement the entire Geneva Convention on Refugees. The EU Commission proposes classifying seven countries as safe: Kosovo, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Morocco and Tunisia.
- Increased returns and new rules on responsibility: Deportation decisions issued by one member state are to be valid throughout the EU in order to prevent onward travel and avoidance of deportation. Detention pending deportation and entry bans are to be standardized across the EU and easier to enforce.
- Easier identity checks: In future, EU member states will be allowed to withhold identity documents and read smartphones in order to establish the identity of a person seeking protection.
- Deportation centers outside the EU: If people seeking protection cannot be deported to their home country or to a safe third country, the EU wants to create so-called deportation centers outside the EU borders in the future.
Conclusion: How realistic is the implementation of the proposals?
The planned "Zugspitze Declaration" is so far merely a political declaration of intent by six EU states. There is a long way to go before it becomes actual EU law. This is because every legislative proposal at EU level has to go through the so-called "ordinary legislative procedure": The EU Commission makes a proposal that must be approved by both the European Parliament and the Council of the EU - often in several readings and, if necessary, after negotiations in the Conciliation Committee.
However, the fact that Denmark is part of the Zugspitze initiative should give the demands a tailwind: The country has held the presidency of the EU Council since July 1 and is itself committed to a restrictive asylum policy. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen recently declared that the current asylum system is "broken" and called for new European solutions to limit immigration.
One thing is clear: the summit on the Zugspitze is currently only a political impulse, but not yet a concrete legislative process.
