Trapped Inside the European Fortress? Germany and European Union Asylum and Refugee Policy

Migration and Refugee Policies in Germany

“…BMI 2006b: 167;Broeders 2009: 164). Although Germany principally opposed deeper integration of JHA at the negotiations for the Treaty of Amsterdam (Bösche 2006), the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Interior remained strongly in favour of a common return policy and continued to push for their national interests when the Treaty was put into action. During the German Presidency of the Council in May 1999 it published concrete guidelines for a European migration strategy including its own understanding of an effective readmission policy which were finally adopted by the Tampere Conclusions from October 1999 (CEU 1999a: 9).…”

Divergent Traditions, Converging Responses: Immigration and Integration Policy in the UK and Germany

“…This trend increased as it became apparent that the European Commission was pursuing a somewhat more liberal line on asylum than Germany was prepared to countenance. 50 Similarly, the UK's discovery of the European arena coincided with the peak in its asylum applications between 2000 and 2003. 51 Despite having secured the possibility to 'opt in' to this area under the Treaty of Amsterdam, the UK signed up to all seven measures on asylum adopted by the EU between 1999 and 2004.…”