Interview with Julian Pahlke, MdB,
Speaker of the Parliamentary Group Alliance 90/The Greens, Deutscher Bundestag, Berlin
The European: Mr Pahlke, the increase of conflicts worldwide, the abundance of authoritarian regimes, and the acceleration of the climate crisis are just some of the reasons why people are willing to leave their homes and risk their lives to reach Europe. All over the European Union, governments have to deal with the issue of migration and asylum. Has migration become a dominant factor in politics?
Julian Pahlke: Our debates often focus on the situation here in Germany or in the European Union. Yet, you rightly pointed out the global scale of the current humanitarian crisis. 120 million people worldwide are fleeing war, terror, hunger, political oppression and a progressing diminishing of their livelihoods due to climate change. Never before has the number been this high. The vast majority of refugees is taken in by neighbouring countries, such as Türkiye, Uganda or Pakistan. Here in Europe, we are not carrying even a fraction of their burden.
The European: However, the topic is often exploited by rightwing extremist parties to gain power.
Pahlke: Rightwing extremist parties exploit the topic of migration and asylum to create a climate of fear. Using racist narratives, they try to portray governments as being out of control. They present migration as a simple problem with simple solutions. But in reality, they do not offer any solutions, let alone solutions that do justice to the complexity of the issue. As democratic parties, we have a responsibility to stand up to these detrimental narratives. We cannot ignore the challenges of host communities, but at the same time, we need to be firm about our commitment to human rights and the humane treatment of those who have lost their homes to war, terror, and oppression, as well as to our commitment to work together as Europeans on this issue.
The European: I agree that the problem of migration and asylum cannot be solved nationally but is a common European task as it is determined in the Pact on Migration and Asylum of 24 May 2024. However, some EU Member States have dropped out: Austria, Hungary, and Germany, for example, tried to solve the problem by systematically controlling or even closing their borders. Can these be efficient solutions, or are these countries just giving in to societal pressure?
Pahlke: I think border controls mainly serve as political symbols. They require a lot of personnel and will never prevent migration altogether. Smugglers simply adapt and alter their routes. Also, according to European Union law, asylum seekers must be given access to regular procedures. They cannot be pushed back at the border. If we want less irregular migration at our borders we need to focus more on safe and legal pathways to protection. Truly effective, sustainable measures to manage migration and asylum require holistic approaches and cooperation at the European level.
Furthermore, border controls tend to disrupt commercial and private traffic in border regions. However, the right to free movement is essential to the European idea and at the core of our prosperity. It is an immeasurable accomplishment that we should fiercely defend.
The European: Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has advocated for a shift of the problem to non-EU Mediterranean countries. Recently, migrants and refugees have been intercepted before being able to reach EU territory and “deported” to a fortress-like camp in Albania, funded by Italy, where their right to asylum is examined. For Meloni, Italy has become a role model, and some in Brussels seem to agree. Have Europeans lost their sense of humanity?
Pahlke: I don’t believe there is a unified stance among “the Europeans” on this issue. Last year, the Member States reached an agreement on the Common European Asylum System, a framework for regulating migration at the European level. This is the way forward, as it creates clear rules and distributes refugees among Member States more fairly.
At the same time, as members of Alliance 90/The Greens, we will work to ensure that human and constitutional rights, the rule of law, and humanitarian principles are upheld. After the Holocaust and the immense destruction Nazi Germany brought to Europe, the international community decided to enshrine the right of asylum as a fundamental human right. We Germans have a special historic responsibility towards those who need protection from violence, oppression, and destruction.
The European: Do you see a risk that the subject of migration could make our Union implode?
Pahlke: The greatest threat to the European Union is not migration, but the rightwing populists and extremist parties that exploit this issue for their own agenda. And of course, they are not only encouraged but even directly or indirectly supported by those who take issue with a society based on freedom, tolerance, equality, and democracy. Migration has become one of the most insidious weapons in the hybrid arsenal of the Kremlin because Putin has realised – correctly, I am afraid – that migration and the discourse around it has enormous potential to destabilise our societies. People on the move are the ones who suffer most under this attempt. It is our responsibility to stand firm against the populist anti-migration narratives so to let this “weaponisation” strategy fail.
The European: How can societies be more resilient to such attacks on democratic values?
Pahlke: As democratic parties, our most crucial challenge is to reinforce trust in and enthusiasm for democracy, democratic institutions, and the rule of law, standing firm against the attacks from anti-democratic and rightwing extremist forces. In this we will only succeed if all democratic parties stand up to wrong and simplistic narratives.
At the same time, we politicians need to work on solutions that address the daily struggles of the people in Germany and all over Europe: affordable transportation and housing in times of rising prices; quality daycare and schools; secure jobs through investments into our infrastructure and carbon neutral technologies. This, as well as the continued commitment to peace in Europe by supporting Ukraine in its defence against the Russian aggression will make our societies more resilient in the long run.
The European: Mr Pahlke, I thank you for your openness.
