Overview

• The European Court of Justice ruled on July 31 that safe-origin designations must guarantee safety for entire populations, including minorities.
• Green Party leaders Erik Marquardt and Max Lucks are demanding that Germany remove Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Moldova and Georgia from its safe-origin list.
• Their call directly contests Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt’s plan to formalize the list through a Rechtsverordnung, bypassing Bundesrat approval.
• The CDU, CSU and SPD coalition agreed to label Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and India as safe origins in their coalition pact and secured cabinet approval in June to enact the list by ministerial decree.
• Critics warn that human rights concerns in the targeted countries, such as LGBT persecution and Russian-controlled regions, violate the ECJ’s heightened safety requirements.