Germany Decides to Shelter 2,750 Refugees Displaced by Greece Fires

CDU and SPD Express Willingness to Accept Refugees
Expected to Raise Public Awareness for Europe-wide Measures
Opposition Urges Active Response to Refugee Issues

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The German government has decided to accept a significant number of refugees who lost their homes due to the fire at the Moria refugee camp in Greece. As Germany steps forward to set an example in refugee policy, attention is focused on whether this will bring changes to the direction of European refugee policies.

Refugees who lost their shelter due to a fire at the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos Island, Greece
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

According to foreign media on the 15th (local time), the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party, which form the ruling coalition in Germany, have agreed to accept a total of 2,750 refugees, including 150 unaccompanied refugee children. Previously, Germany had expressed its intention to accept unaccompanied refugee children and others in connection with the fire that made it impossible to continue housing refugees at the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos Island, Greece's largest refugee camp, and the scale has now increased significantly.

A German government spokesperson said, "We are working with other European Union (EU) member states to develop a broader European-level solution," adding, "Germany will participate in refugee issues within an appropriate range according to its national capacity."

A recent fire at the Moria refugee camp left refugees homeless and sleeping on the streets. Although the camp's official capacity was 2,757 people, about 12,600 were living in poor conditions, raising humanitarian concerns. After the sudden fire left refugees without shelter, the German government actively engaged in discussions with the Greek government and expressed its willingness to accept refugees. However, the German government has not yet announced specific plans regarding which refugees it will accept.

Within Germany, voices calling for accepting more refugees are also emerging.

Within the Social Democratic Party, there are critical voices regarding the German government's refugee acceptance plan, saying it proposed methods like a 'lottery' instead of a comprehensive solution.

Opposition parties such as the German Green Party have also called for Germany to accept more refugees. The Green Party criticized Germany for intending to accept only those whose asylum applications have been approved and urged the government to quickly accept 5,000 refugees.

Before the Lesbos Island fire, 174 local municipalities in Germany had already expressed their willingness to accept refugees. However, the German federal government has blocked the municipalities' plans.