To mark the beginning of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), Alexander Throm, the CDU’s political spokesperson for domestic affairs, is calling for a firm approach against member states that fail to implement the new regulations. Throm told Politico that the EU Commission should initiate relevant sanctions and infringement procedures if necessary. He cited procedures against Hungary as an example, where “corresponding financial penalties were imposed.”
The CDU politician warned that the reform could fail if individual states again refuse to cooperate. If certain countries, or multiple countries, did not participate properly, he argued that the new CEAS would truly have failed.
Throm is particularly critical of countries that caused issues under the old Dublin system. Specifically, he mentioned that Italy and Greece did not participate fully, while other states complicated the repatriation process. He stressed that this must change, adding that a functional replacement for Dublin is crucial for distributing asylum seekers across Europe and is a necessary precursor for Germany to scale back border controls.
Overall, however, Throm views the start of the reform positively, stating that it represents a genuine restart and that the prerequisites have been met. He emphasized that the determining factor now is whether all European countries genuinely commit to and adhere to the new rules.
