Overview
- Berlin announced up to €52.6 million in additional regional assistance, including about €39.4 million for Syria, and an extra €4 million for a Syrian reconstruction fund.
- The Interior Ministry said it intends to carry out deportations to Syria starting with convicted offenders and is working on an agreement with Syrian authorities to make returns possible.
- The ministry confirmed that Syrians who travel back for short home visits will generally lose their protection status in Germany.
- Wadephul met Syria’s interim leadership in Damascus, urged guarantees of safety and inclusion for all citizens, and said mass voluntary returns are unrealistic given the scale of devastation.
- Germany’s BAMF has resumed processing certain Syrian asylum cases, focusing since late September on young, able-bodied lone men, as UNHCR warns Syria’s absorption capacity is already at its limit.