Overview

• Berlin’s Administrative Court found on June 2 that asylum seekers cannot be turned away at border checks without determining which EU state must process their claim under the Dublin Regulation.
• The ruling stemmed from an appeal by three Somali nationals who were expelled at a Frankfurt an der Oder train station after expressing a wish to claim asylum.
• Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the government believes it has legal grounds to continue pushbacks, arguing the asylum system is overwhelmed and needs stricter controls.
• France and other neighbouring countries have demanded clarity as the pushbacks disrupted Schengen travel, and some SPD members warned the policy lacked legal justification.
• The European Commission has proposed a bloc-wide mechanism to reject asylum applications from migrants who passed through ‘safe’ third countries, underscoring tensions over EU migration rules.