Germany is accepting less than its fair share of refugees, while official data have also overestimated the number of refugees living in the country

How has Germany performed with regard to accepting asylum applications and refugees? Luc Bovens and Jane von Rabenau assess recent data on acceptance rates and the size of the refugee population in Germany, finding that the country has one of the lowest acceptance rates in western/northern Europe. The size of the refugee population in Germany is more moderate by western/northern European standards, however recent developments suggest official data has likely overestimated the size of this population.

However, an article in Spiegel Online International in July 2014 said that the German government was expecting around 175,000 people to file applications for asylum in 2014, the highest number in two decades. Regional politicians were acting surprised, but there had been signs of this development for years now.

Deutsche Welle reported that Germany still had relatively liberal asylum laws, but some of them were set to change. On the one hand, this would allow asylum seekers to take up employment sooner. On the other hand, asylum applications from citizens of several Balkan countries would no longer be accepted.

• Primary Source

Spiegel Online International, 07.07.14: Growing Influx: Germany Caught Off Guard By Surge in Refugees http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/surge-in-refugees-catches-german-leaders-off-guard-a-979633.html

Deutsche Welle, 03.07.14: Rising Number of Asylum Seekers in Germany http://dw.de/p/1CVWC

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