According to Die Welt, Germany and 14 other EU countries want to provide protection to almost 40,000 Afghans. On Thursday, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, noted that the EU Interior Ministers said it was an “impressive act of solidarity.”
The move comes as data shows Afghan migrants lag drastically behind in terms of integration in Western countries, including with crime rates, terrorism, and unemployment.
As Remix News previously reported, currently, there are over 250,000 people of Afghan origin residing legally in Germany. According to some criminal statistics, Afghans are five times more likely to commit a criminal act than native Germans. However, in some categories, such as sexual assaults, they are 12.5 times more likely to commit an offense than the rest of society.
Countries like Austria have refused to accept more Afghan migrants due to serious crimes and integration problems. The rape and murder of a 13-year-old Austrian girl by a group of Afghan migrants earlier this year shocked Austria and helped fuel opposition to more Afghan refugees.
The European Commission reported that EU countries have evacuated approximately 28,000 people from Afghanistan in recent months. Tens of thousands more will now join them. According to Johansson’s letter to the Interior Ministers, 38,146 concrete promises have already been made.
In the letter, Johansson also said that Germany alone is ready to accept 25,000 people from Afghanistan who, according to the European Commissioner, need special protection. Germany will therefore be taking the bulk of the new arrivals.
According to the Austrian ORF TV station, France has agreed to accept 2,500 Afghans and another 5,000 people from other countries. The Netherlands is willing to provide protection to 3,100, Spain to 2,500, and Sweden to 2,000 Afghans.
