The coalition government in Germany on Wednesday added the Republic of Moldova and Georgia to its list of safe countries of origin in an effort to reduce the number of asylum applications from these countries, which are almost always rejected, Reuters reported.

Nancy FeatherPhoto: Christian Spicker / imago stock&people / Profimedia

The cabinet accepted Interior Minister Nancy Feiser’s bill as part of a series of measures agreed at a two-day cabinet meeting at Meseberg Castle near Berlin.

The measure means that asylum applications from these countries can be processed more quickly and result in the faster deportation of rejected applicants.

According to the ministry, in 2022 and the first half of 2023, 99.9% of applications from both countries were rejected.

Together, they make up more than a tenth of all rejected applications. Approximately 8,865 people from Georgia and 5,218 people from the Republic of Moldova applied for asylum in Germany last year.

The ministry defines countries of safe origin as those where there is generally no fear of state persecution and where the state protects its citizens.

This year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government tried to make it easier for skilled migrants to obtain German citizenship in an effort to ease chronic labor shortages.

But migration remains a politically charged issue and has fueled the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is ahead of most of the main parties in polls and is set to advance in the upcoming elections.

Refugee rights group Pro Asyl criticized the government’s decision on the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, saying it ignored the fact that Russia had occupied separatist regions in both countries, posing a security threat.

Pro Asyl also highlighted what it presented as a regression of the rule of law in Georgia and LGBTIQ+ rights, as well as the issue of press freedom in the Republic of Moldova.

Georgia has passed laws against discrimination and hate crimes, but LGBT+ rights groups say there is insufficient protection from law enforcement and homophobia remains widespread in the socially conservative South Caucasian country. (Agerpress)