The net number of migration to Germany continued to tumble in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic was cited as a chief reason for the decline in numbers, which now has fallen to merely a third of the legally permitted numbers.
International organizations and charities are worried that migrants, refugees, and displaced people are sometimes being forgotten or ignored from national vaccination strategies. They call on the global community to do more to make sure everyone is immunized.
A situation like the one in Moria must "never happen again," said the European Commissioner for Home Affairs. Some lawmakers called for a "solidarity-based solution" to the crisis, but not everyone agrees.
Sources from Angela Merkel's government have said Germany will additional migrants from the Greek island of Lesbos. Over 12,000 people have been left homeless by fires at the refugee camp Moria.
With thousands now displaced from Greece's largest migrant camp, several German states are again offering to take in many of the refugees. They face one big problem: getting permission from Merkel's government.
In 2015, Angela Merkel opened Germany to hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war — sparking heated debate about asylum policy within the European Union. In Brussels, DW's Bernd Riegert asks what lessons have been learned.
Five years ago, as more and more refugees were coming to Germany, Chancellor Merkel promised "We can do it!" For the Jaafar family, this claim has become a mission.
Five years ago, as hundreds of thousands of refugees came to Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel maintained: "We can do it." How has Germany — and those who sought asylum — managed since then? DW explains.
Oxfam has criticized the new asylum laws in Greece, saying they would result in "exploitation of people" and amount to "a blatant attack" on the EU's commitment to protect refugees and migrants.
A top refugee council slammed members of the UN Security Council for employing "kindergarten politics" at a time of global crisis. The UN’s refugee commissioner told DW "decisive action" is needed for displaced people.
Germany's foreign minister took aim at the EU's approach to refugees, saying nothing has been solved since the 2015 migrant crisis. He also called again for a scheme to distribute asylum-seekers across the EU.
The European Court of Justice has ruled that Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic acted against EU law when they rebuffed a migrant distribution deal as displaced people arrived to the bloc en masse in 2015.