Germany is seeking to further lower the number of new asylum seekers. The reformed EU asylum law (CEAS) took effect on Friday, but experts doubt it will achieve all its intended goals.
Following years of preparation, one of the most substantial overhauls of asylum legislation in Germany and across the entire European Union went into force on Friday.
The new "Common European Asylum System" (CEAS) mandates that asylum seekers undergo a compulsory initial screening at the EU's external borders, aimed at accelerating procedures for individuals arriving from nations with low asylum approval rates.
As a result, asylum seekers from countries including Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Turkey, and Nigeria will be subject to expedited border procedures in largely enclosed camps. According to Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, fewer than 20% of asylum seekers from these and numerous other countries are granted asylum rights.
Gerald Knaus, an immigration specialist and founder of the think tank "European Stability Initiative" (ESI), is skeptical this approach will succeed. He notes that deporting individuals to their home countries will remain challenging, as rejected asylum seekers are likely to simply relocate to another EU member state.
"In reality, it has always been the case that the countries where asylum seekers first arrive are responsible for processing their claims. It just hasn't worked that way. Why should it work now?" he questions.
Who undergoes EU 'border procedures' when seeking asylum?
According to the European Commission, the largest groups of asylum seekers in 2025 originated from Afghanistan and Syria. The asylum recognition rate for individuals from these two countries exceeds 20%. Consequently, people from these nations do not undergo border procedures but instead follow regular asylum processes. Responsibility for these procedures also falls on the countries of first entry.
Knaus highlights that although Germany and Austria are not located on the EU's external border, they have granted more than half of all successful asylum applications in the EU over the past decade.
Knaus believes this situation will persist, with numbers influenced more by developments in asylum seekers' home countries than by EU legislation. "If the fall of the Assad regime ends the exodus of Syrians entering the EU, then the number of asylum applications in Germany and Austria will also drop dramatically. That had nothing to do with the interior minister, nor does it have anything to do with CEAS, nor does it have anything to do with border controls," he told DW. Since the regime change in Syria at the end of 2024, the number of people leaving the country has been sharply decreasing.
Germany relies on Syrian workers amid return debates
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Will Germany deport more people?
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt believes that the new CEAS regulations will facilitate Germany's ability to transfer asylum seekers to the EU country where they first entered. To alleviate pressure on these nations, CEAS stipulates that other EU member states must demonstrate "mandatory solidarity" by taking over the processing of asylum seekers' cases.
It remains unclear how this will function in practice, but the European Commission has been tasked with coordinating the process. Poland and Hungary have previously refused to participate on principle. Meanwhile, Germany has no intention of accepting any asylum seekers this year due to being overburdened, according to its Interior Ministry.
To enable the return of asylum seekers from Germany to the EU countries responsible for them, the federal government plans to establish "return centers" across the German states. However, at present, only two such centers exist, one in Hamburg and one in Eisenhüttenstadt.
Under an agreement between EU member states and the European Parliament, it should eventually be possible to deport unsuccessful asylum seekers from the European Union to third countries. Facilities called "return hubs" are to be built there for this purpose, but currently, these exist only on paper.
Dobrindt has announced that willing partner countries are to be identified by the end of the year. When asked about the construction of the return hubs, the minister replied, "That's going to be a tough nut we'll have to crack."
EU has called on Germany to end border controls
The number of first-time asylum applications has been declining significantly in Europe and Germany over the past two years—a trend Interior Minister Dobrindt attributes to the comprehensive border controls implemented by Germany and nine other EU member states.
However, the European Commission has urged Germany to gradually phase out these controls now that the new Common European Asylum System (CEAS) has taken effect. Speaking to DW, Dobrindt stated: "I have also made it clear how necessary it is to continue with border controls so that we do not send the wrong signals to the world. We have successfully tackled illegal migration, but we must continue to do so to ensure that we do not end up in a situation where we are overwhelmed again."
German bureaucracy under fire
For Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), the EU asylum reform has entailed a significant workload. Back in February, Volker Mäulen, head of the CEAS project group at the Federal Office, made this evident. Data processing and workflows had to be aligned with the more complex legislation, and many employees required training.
The European Commission in Brussels recently noted in a report that Germany does not yet meet CEAS requirements in some areas, nor do many others, including countries such as Greece and Italy, where numerous asylum seekers first arrive.
Referring to his agency's report, EU Commissioner for Migration Magnus Brunner stated that the introduction of the CEAS reform on June 12 marked the beginning of the journey, not the end. "Not everything is going to be perfect at the start," he added.
This article was originally written in German.