New EU Asylum Regulations: Border Procedure Center Opens at BER Airport with 40 Places
A new center dedicated to border asylum procedures has begun operations at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER), marking the implementation phase of the European Union's updated asylum system. The facility is designed to process individuals arriving by air who immediately apply for asylum upon arrival.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior has announced that the center at BER can accommodate up to 40 individuals at any given time. This initiative is part of Germany's commitment to maintain a total of 374 places nationwide for these accelerated border procedures, as stipulated by recent EU regulations. Additional centers are already operational or planned in cities such as Frankfurt am Main and Munich, with further expansions expected in locations like Pforzheim and Düsseldorf.
The primary objective of these border procedure centers is to streamline the asylum process for certain categories of applicants. Specifically, the procedure targets individuals from countries whose nationals seldom qualify for protection, persons who have provided false information about their identity, and those considered security risks. Notably, asylum seekers from Afghanistan are currently excluded from this expedited process.
The facility at BER airport is housed in a bungalow near the airport, which had previously been utilized for similar rapid processing of asylum applications, particularly for individuals without valid documentation or from countries classified as safe by German authorities. In recent months, Brandenburg's authorities have reported that approximately ten to twelve people per month have passed through this type of procedure at the location.
Upon arrival, individuals expressing a wish to seek asylum are registered by the Federal Police. The subsequent responsibilities, including accommodation and management of the process, are handled by local authorities from the state of Brandenburg. Those who do not qualify for protection under the criteria are subject to deportation directly from the center, effectively reducing the time individuals spend in the asylum system when their chances of approval are deemed low.
This border procedure forms part of a broader European Asylum and Migration Pact, which aims to create more efficient and unified management of asylum applications across EU member states. The German federal government has indicated that these measures build upon recent national steps taken to regulate and limit irregular migration, positioning the new centers as a crucial step in aligning German practice with European standards.
In response to questions about ongoing controls at Germany's internal borders, officials have clarified that these remain a transitional arrangement. The ultimate intention is to strengthen the EU's external border protection mechanisms, which would eventually render internal border checks unnecessary. Until such a system is fully operational, existing controls will continue to be enforced to manage migration flows and uphold security standards within the country.
The introduction of these centers is expected to serve as a test case for the new EU asylum regulations. As the system is rolled out, authorities will monitor its effectiveness and make adjustments as needed to ensure compliance with both national and European legal frameworks. The experience and data gathered from the operation of the BER facility and others across Germany will inform future policy decisions at both the national and EU levels.