Germany speeds up new measures to deal with refugee influx

Germany is introducing measures to tackle its refugee crisis earlier than previously expected, a top government official said on Friday, allowing accelerated deportation procedures from the country to begin as early as next week.

"We want to get better and faster this year at the deportation of rejected applicants who have no claim to remain here," said Peter Altmaier, chief of staff to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Atlmeier was appointed earlier this month to oversee her government's handling of the refugee crisis.

Germany expects a record influx of more than 800,000 people this year, by far the most in the European Union. With the new measures, Berlin is aiming to cope better with the unprecedented number of arrivals and to stem the influx.

The tighter rules aim to speed up asylum and extradition procedures for those coming from southeastern Europe, in order to focus on refugees from war-torn countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Many Germans feel the country cannot cope with the record influx. A poll for ARD showed three-quarters of Germans expect the influx of refugees to change German society. Support for Merkel's conservatives has fallen due to concern over the refugee crisis.

Several European leaders are due to meet on Sunday to tackle the refugee crisis in the western Balkans as thousands trying to reach Germany are trapped in deteriorating conditions.

Hungary has responded to the largest migration wave Europe has seen since World War Two by building a steel fence along its borders with Serbia and Croatia, a step both welcomed and criticized by various leaders around Europe.

"The more fences are erected the greater the misery," Altmaier said. "Europe must see to it that this movement and this influx is orderly and structured."

The head of Germany's police trade union, Rainer Wendt, said the crisis was stretching police resources thin. "I have personally told the chancellor: we can't be in two places at once," Wendt told newspaper Die Welt.

Reuters