Germany accuses Switzerland of violating the Dublin agreement to allow migrants to cross the border freely

Switzerland has been criticized by German authorities for allowing migrants to transit to neighboring countries, which is not in line with the Dublin agreement.

According to local media in Switzerland, every week nearly 1,000 migrants, mainly young Afghans, do not seek asylum but go to France or Germany, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Police deployed in St. Gallen have confirmed to Swiss media that they are officially allowing migrants to continue their journey – a decision which has drawn criticism in Germany.

“If this information is true, Switzerland is simply waving people through. National selfishness harms the Schengen area,” Andrea Lindholz, deputy leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, said.

Lindholz calls on the Swiss government to address the issue as more migrants cross the border into Germany, and she reminded Switzerland to take action against illegal immigration.

Switzerland is a member of the Schengen area, which among other things allows unrestricted travel, but is not a member of the European Union.

According to the Dublin Agreement, which is an EU law that establishes which country is responsible for examining a migrant’s asylum application, the first country in which the asylum seeker arrives is generally that who should establish the application procedures.

A representative of the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees confirmed that the Swiss practice was a violation of the Dublin Schengen Agreement, noting that it is not possible to allow migrants to simply pass through.

On the other hand, the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) does not accept criticism and claims not to forward migrants.

Switzerland does not hesitate. The Dublin procedure cannot be carried out for people who are no longer present,” said SEM spokesman Daniel Bach, stressing that his country is actively fighting against illegal immigration.

Currently, EU member states, particularly Germany and France, are dealing with growing numbers of migrants, reaching the highest level of irregular border crossings since 2016, when one of the biggest crises has happened, as stated by Frontex, the European border security agency. .

Nearly 700 people reach the eastern border of Switzerland via the Balkans, three times more than last year. The increase in asylum applications is also seen in Switzerland, but most of these migrants have no desire to stay in Switzerland, the majority of them heading to Germany, France or the United Kingdom .

However, an investigation by Swiss public television revealed that Switzerland is allowing migrants to cross the border to neighboring countries instead of stopping or sending them back as requested.