New measures to curb migration to Germany agreed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and state Governors

New, stricter measures to curb the high number of migrants coming to Germany were agreed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the 16 state Governors on November 7, reaching a compromise on an issue that has become a huge political problem for the government.

New, stricter measures to curb the high number of migrants coming to Germany were agreed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the 16 state Governors on November 7, reaching a compromise on an issue that has become a huge political problem for the government.

The new measures include speeding up asylum procedures, benefit restrictions for asylum seekers and more financial aid from the federal government for the states and local communities dealing with the influx.

Speaking on Tuesday after an overnight meeting that lasted for several hours, Mr. Scholz called the agreement “a historical moment” — a remark that showed how much of a burden the topic had become for the government.

Shelters for migrants and refugees have been filling up in Germany for months, and Mr. Scholz, who faces enormous pressure from the Opposition and elsewhere to halt that trend, has said that “too many are coming”.

The number of new asylum applications for the year to date was around 73% higher at the end of September than in the same period last year, official statistics show. Germany has also taken in more than one million Ukrainians arrive since the start of Russia's war in their homeland.

Over recent weeks, there had been a flurry of government activity, including legislation to ease deportations of unsuccessful asylum-seekers, to stiffen punishment for smugglers, to allow asylum-seekers to start working sooner, and to introduce temporary checks on the Polish, Czech and Swiss borders.