Overview

• Hans-Eckhard Sommer, head of Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), proposed replacing individual asylum rights with a humanitarian admission program during a speech in Berlin.
• Sommer criticized the current asylum system as 'cynical' and 'inhuman,' arguing it favors young, middle-class men and excludes vulnerable groups such as women and families.
• He suggested that the proposed program could include quotas and consider the labor market integration potential of applicants, while eliminating asylum claims for unauthorized arrivals.
• Sommer dismissed EU reforms like the Common European Asylum System (GEAS) as insufficient and criticized third-country asylum processing as unrealistic and ineffective.
• While emphasizing that his remarks were personal and not made in his official capacity, Sommer warned that migration issues, if unaddressed, could threaten societal stability and the democratic rule of law.