Overview

• The cabinet approved a decree allowing the government to designate countries of origin as ‘safe’ without upper-house (Bundesrat) approval.
• Ministers voted to abolish mandatory state-appointed legal counsel for asylum seekers facing expulsion to speed up removal procedures.
• A government spokesman confirmed that no country has yet been assessed under the new ‘safe country’ fast-track scheme.
• A Berlin court this week blocked the expulsion of three Somali asylum seekers, finding the police action unlawful.
• Rising voter concern over migration and growing support for the far-right AfD party have driven Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU-led government to tighten asylum rules.