Scale of refugee influx in 2015 worries German authorities
The “too high” scale of refugee influx into Germany throughout the year 2015 has become a matter of concern for authorities in Berlin.
Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Wednesday that nearly 1.1 million people were registered as asylum-seekers in Germany in 2015.
“We think the level of refugees and asylum-seekers who have come to Germany is too high, and are working so that it isn’t repeated on this scale in 2016,” de Maiziere said.
Germany has seen more refugee arrivals than any other country in Europe. The refugee crisis, the worst hitting the continent in decades, involves people mainly escaping war and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa.
De Maiziere said a total of 1,091,894 refugees were registered between January and December 2015, with Syrians comprising the largest single group, accounting for 428,468 people. Afghans and Iraqis followed by 154,046 and 121,662, respectively.
Many blame the government in Berlin for a surge in the number of Syrians and Iraqis arriving in Germany, saying the administration of Chancellor Angela Merkel has not made sufficient contribution to efforts for ending the turmoil in Syria and Iraq.
There is widespread agreement in Germany on the general need to curb the number of refugee arrivals, but various people disagree on how to go about the issue. Merkel says diplomacy is needed to convince other European countries to share the burden. Others say Germany must impose stricter controls on the arrivals and put a cap on the number it can receive.
De Maiziere said the actual number of people who sought asylum in Germany may be under 1 million, as the 1.1 million figure includes people who were registered twice at different locations or continued to Scandinavia or elsewhere.
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