The Ministry of internal Affairs of Germany announced the launch of a new immigration program “start plus”, involving payments to refugees who decide voluntarily to return home. About it the newspaper “Izvestia” said the official representative of Department Johannes Dimroth.
According to him, under the program, which became effective February 1, fall migrants from 45 countries, with the exception of the Western Balkan countries. For its financing the Federal government this year has allocated 40 million euros.
The basis of the program, according to the newspaper, is the principle of voluntary return. Refugees who decide to return home before the decision to grant them asylum in Germany, will be paid 1200 euros. Those who refused to pay 800 euros on the condition that they will not appeal.
Financial compensation is intended for individuals 12 years of age and older. Cashback will be implemented in two stages: half the amount the worker will receive at departure from Germany, and the rest in six months at home.
As noted, the new measures will complement the “Reintegration and emigration programme for asylum seekers in Germany”, according to which migrants are charged leaving the country, receive 200 euros for travel expenses, and provides payment assistance in the amount of 300-500 Euro.
Experts believe that thus German Chancellor Angela Merkel is seeking to score political points ahead of elections.
At the end of 2016 published the results of a survey conducted by TNS Emnid for Funke Mediengruppe, according to which the majority of citizens trusts of Germany Angela Merkel. 56 percent of people in the country believe that it has the power to overcome the difficulties with which the country will face in 2017.
In early December, Reuters noted that in German society there is a high level of anxiety in relation to migrants, despite the sharp reduction in their flow. If in 2015 we moved to Germany 890 thousand refugees from the Middle East, then in 2016 was was 280 thousand people.