Hamburg – ESI presentation at the SPD Hamburg migration working group

6 February 2024
Gerald Knaus and MP Aydan Özoguz.
Gerald Knaus and MP Aydan Özoguz. Photo: ESI

ESI’s Gerald Knaus was invited by Aydan Özoğuz, Vice President of the German Bundestag, to speak at the SPD Hamburg migration working group, joined by other interested party members.

He proposed a fundamental change to the European asylum system, challenging narratives that paint migration as an unmanageable issue and fuel far-right agendas. Gerald criticised the current focus on increasing deportations of rejected asylum seekers, as currently discussed in Germany, for being ineffective.

Instead, he suggested cooperating with safe third countries to create legal and humane routes for migration, aiming to reduce dangerous Mediterranean crossings. In the ensuing discussion, Gerald delved deeper into Germany’s potential role in this new approach. He proposed that collaboration in the British Channel between Germany, the UK, and other EU countries willing to engage could demonstrate the value of agreements with safe third countries.

This strategy, Gerald argued, would provide a practical demonstration of how to manage migration in a legal, humane manner, which could also diminish the appeal of far-right narratives by effectively controlling irregular migration.

Gerald at discussion
Photo: ESI