The Standardization Story

I noticed this little news piece on ARD (Public TV Channel One) here in Germany.

The basic story?  The German Interior Minister (de Maiziere)....spoke up and said that one of the problems on the immigration front is that Germany has a very high benefits package for asylum seekers/refugees/immigrants.  No one would disagree with his statement....even Chancellor Merkel.

So what de Maiziere said next kinda shocked a few people.

He wants standardization across the board on benefits.  He's referring to the other twenty-six members (we won't count the UK anymore) of the EU.  He wants each of them to raise their benefits package to the German level. At that point, refugees and asylum-seekers couldn't just aim for Germany only in this quest.

You can sense a dozen countries gritting their teeth at this suggestion.  It's very unlikely that individual states would agree to this....so the aim that de Maiziere is speaking to....is that the EU would order the states to comply.

The idea that the individual states would approach the EU and demand that Germany lessen it's benefits package?  Don't even go and suggest this.  It'd freak the German government out.

You would think that he'd stop right there, but he added a second suggestion.  He also thinks that there should be standardized legal protection on asylum and immigration applications.  That the other 26 members need to come up to the German standard of application and review.  Deportations would slow down, with his suggestion.

The EU to pick up these ideas?  This week....by the interpretation of the European Court of Justice that individual EU members have to accept a quota system on taking migrants....there's a card laid out on the table.  At this point, the Dublin Agreement is pretty much dead (it said that where you land in Europe originally....is where you have to apply for asylum....you don't travel around and shop for the best deal).  I suspect that twenty-odd countries have individuals meeting and discussing how this court case went, and the virtual death of the Dublin Agreement.   The direction of the EU for the future is something that might concern them.

In the landscape of this discussion....there's also the EU election coming up in 2019, and the possibility that a fair number of right-wing political parties will come out and campaign on this issue. You might see a changed atmosphere after that election.

As for where the extra funds would come from in each country for the German vision of benefits?  More taxes.  The Germans can afford it.....but among the other 26 members?  This would not be easily sold to the general public.

Then you come to the last issue....why bring up this topic two weeks prior to the German election?  There's probably ten-percent of the CDU-voter crowd who are often conflicted with the Merkel asylum and migration program, and this would help to drive them away from the Chancellor on election day.  Intentional or accidental?  That would be a curious question to ask.