Germany takes in 942 refugees under EU resettlement so far this year

Germany has taken in 942 refugees from Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, Congo, Eritrea and other countries so far this year through the European Union’s resettlement programme.

“Since the change of government on May 7, 2025, no further arrivals have taken place,” the government said in response to written questions from member of parliament Desiree Becker of The Left party, who had submitted two questions on the programme.

In its responses, seen by dpa, the Interior Ministry noted that the coalition agreement between the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), calls for humanitarian admission programmes to be ended as far as possible and for no new programmes to be launched.

“We are currently examining how this can be implemented across the various programmes, including resettlement procedures,” the ministry said, adding that until a final decision is made, relevant procedures remain suspended.

Under the programme, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) identifies particularly vulnerable people for resettlement. German authorities then conduct interviews and security checks on site. Refugees do not need to submit an asylum application upon arrival in Germany.

Germany has pledged a total of 13,100 places for 2024 and 2025 to the UNHCR and the European Commission, which provides financial support for the programme. This includes humanitarian admissions of Syrian refugees from Turkey, part of an EU-Turkey agreement dating back to 2016.

Becker criticized the government for failing to uphold its humanitarian responsibilities. “While there is loud discussion about so-called ‘illegal border crossings,’ safe routes into the country are being deliberately closed,” she said.

In April 2024, the Interior Ministry under the previous government described resettlement as “an important component of a comprehensive and holistic approach to migration policy.”

Last year, according to the government, 2,279 people entered Germany through the EU resettlement programme from the first countries of refuge, including Egypt, Jordan, Kenya and Libya, as well as through a non-country-specific quota of 50 places per year for particularly urgent emergencies.

Many refugees from Syria and Sudan

Refugees from Syria made up the largest group arriving in Germany through the EU resettlement programme between January 2024 and mid-2025, with 794 people admitted, according to the information provided.

During the same period, Germany also took in 561 individuals fleeing the civil war in Sudan, 398 from South Sudan, and 300 from Somalia.

In addition, 251 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, 116 from Eritrea, and 836 people from other countries have been resettled in Germany since the start of 2024.

Source: dpa