Before the Bundestag votes on the implementation of the Common European Asylum System (GEAS) reform, opposition parties have voiced strong criticism of the Union‑SPD coalition’s plans.
Greens parliamentary group leader Britta Haßelmann told the “Rheinische Post” (Friday edition) that, after months of negotiations, the coalition has failed to address humanitarian and constitutional concerns. She warned that the “black‑red” reform would mainly harm children and young people, who could be housed under stricter conditions in the future. According to Haßelmann, this is “unacceptable” and the coalition is moving in the opposite direction of what is needed-“European solidarity, humanitarian responsibility and order”.
Clara Bünger, deputy chair of the Left parliamentary group, also condemned the planned reform. She said the federal government is pushing the most severe tightening of asylum rights since the 1990s, and that it aims to isolate asylum seekers more intensely, even imprisoning them-children included. Bünger described the policy as inhumane, treating refugees like criminals rather than displaced individuals who need protection, and stated that the Left will “obviously reject” the law.
The Bundestag is scheduled to vote on the GEAS reform this Friday.