German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) has expressed doubts about the intentions of her Interior Minister counterpart, Alexander Dobrindt of the Christian Social Union (CSU), in continuing to reject asylum seekers at the German border until a European Court of Justice ruling is made.
Hubig, when questioned by the Funke Media Group, stated, “It remains to be seen” adding, “We will see if there are further court decisions, how they turn out and what consequences might be drawn from them.”
When asked if the rejections of asylum seekers were lawful, Hubig replied, “That depends.” She emphasized that those who submit an asylum claim at the border should not be immediately turned back, citing European law that allows for the application of national law in exceptional circumstances. However, she noted that, so far, no member state has successfully argued before the European Court of Justice that the conditions for such an application are met.
The Berlin Administrative Court has issued three emergency decisions, clearly stating that the justification for applying national law thus far is insufficient. “The Interior Ministry wants to make up for this, so this is the issue now” Hubig said. She sharply criticized the threats against the Berlin judges, calling them “absolutely unacceptable.” “We stand by an independent judiciary. We will not tolerate intimidation attempts” the SPD politician emphasized.