By Oliver Towfigh Nia
BERLIN (AA) – Leading lawmakers of Germany’s main opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its parliamentary ally, the Christian Social Union (CSU), on Wednesday called on the government to offer financial incentives for refugees to voluntarily leave the country.
“This coalition agreed on a deportation offensive in the coalition agreement. In addition to increasing deportations, this also includes promoting voluntary returns to the country of origin,” the CDU/CSU parliamentary faction’s spokesperson on domestic policy Alexander Throm told the BILD newspaper, adding that every voluntary return is “better and cheaper than deportation.”
Throm referred to the coalition agreement, which explicitly states: “Rejected asylum seekers must leave our country. We want to better support voluntary returns by strengthening incentives.”
Support for a “departure bonus” payment also came from Jürgen Hardt, the foreign policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU parliamentary faction.
“The Danish model can serve as a blueprint for Germany. Expanding existing incentive systems for voluntary return can meaningfully complement necessary deportations,” he said.
Denmark pays Syrian war refugees an average of €27,000 ($31,000) for their return home.
“We should make it easier for all those who want to rebuild their homeland — for the economic benefit of Germany as well — to start a new life in Syria. This would efficiently relieve the burden on German municipalities,” Hardt added.
Meanwhile, CSU domestic policy expert Stephan Mayer also told BILD: “I am in favor of paying refugees a departure bonus so that they return to their home countries voluntarily. I believe that this creates an incentive.”
However, Mayer proposed a significantly lower sum than the one used in Denmark, saying: “1,000 euros is a good amount that provides sufficient incentive and with which something new can be built.”
The amount should not be too high, he added, otherwise it could create a new incentive — a so-called “pull factor” — to come to Germany.
Refugees can reportedly already apply for money to help them leave the country under certain conditions.
Germany is aiming to encourage, especially Syrian refugees, to return home voluntarily, as it hosts more than 700,000 Syrian refugees, most of whom have temporary residence permits.
The total Syrian-background population — including those with permanent residence and dual citizenship — stands at nearly 1.3 million, according to official figures.