The fall of the Assad regime has sparked a new dynamic: many countries in Europe want to rethink their previous policies towards Syrian refugees and are postponing asylum procedures. Austria goes one step further.
Just like Germany, other European countries are also putting their asylum decisions for Syrians on hold for the time being after the fall of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad. Austria even announced a deportation plan for Syrian refugees. “The overthrow of the Assad regime has now succeeded in ending the actual reason for fleeing. This means that there are now many good reasons to return to Syria,” said Chancellor Karl Nehammer ARDInterview.
This directly affects around 7,300 people from Syria in Austria who are currently going through the asylum procedure. Austria also wants to check the residence status of those who only have temporary protection status.
Family reunification will also be stopped until further notice. According to his own statement, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner has now commissioned his ministry to “prepare an orderly return and deportation program to Syria”. Around 100,000 Syrians currently live in Austria, one of the largest Syrian exile populations in Europe.
Sweden: Situation in Syria fragile
The head of the Swedish Migration Agency's legal department, Carl Bexelius, said the situation in Syria was “fragile and recent events raise several legal questions that require in-depth analysis.”
Swedish authorities would therefore also suspend deportations until the political situation in Syria had clarified. The head of the right-wing radical Sweden Democrats, Jimmie Akesson, has already called on the refugees to return to Syria. In 2015 and 2016, Sweden welcomed the second largest number of Syrian refugees into the EU after Germany.
Denmark and Norway are also reacting
The asylum authority in Denmark also said it would “suspend the processing of cases of people from Syria due to the very uncertain situation in the country following the fall of the Assad regime.” This currently affects 69 cases.
Denmark is known for its strict asylum policy. In mid-2020, it became the first EU country to begin re-examining hundreds of Syrian refugee cases. The reason given by the authorities at the time was that the “situation in Damascus” no longer justified a residence permit. However, deportations will not take place.
Norway announced its decision to “suspend asylum applications from Syria until further notice.” The reason was “the recent major events and changes in Syria,” explained the responsible authority. In Norway, 1,933 asylum applications have been submitted by Syrians since the beginning of the year.
France: Working on suspension
The French Interior Ministry said it was “working on suspending ongoing asylum procedures from Syria.” A decision is expected in the next few hours, it said. According to the immigration authority Ofpra, more than 4,000 asylum applications from Syrian nationals have been registered in France this year.
France is also an important transit country for refugees traveling across the English Channel to Great Britain. Between January and September, almost 2,900 Syrians arrived on the British island in small boats. The British Home Office also said it had “temporarily suspended” decisions on asylum applications from Syrians while the current situation was “assessed.”
Greece: end of refugee flow
Greece, through which many people from Syria travel to Central Europe, expressed the hope that they can now return to their homeland “in safety”. Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said the overthrow of Assad must lead to “peace in the country and a harmonious transfer of power towards a legitimate democratic government.” This must lead to “an end to the flow of refugees from this country”.
With information from Silke Hahne, ARD Studio Vienna
