Safe Third Countries and External Processing
Rwanda and Albania are receiving much attention these days, not least in Germany where the government is examining the option of sending asylum applicants to third states. To do so can be compatible with human rights, if several conditions are being fulfilled. At the same time, there are different options of how such a project could be realised – as exemplified by differences between the British ‘Rwanda plan’ and the Italian ‘Albania model’. Professor Thym explains the options and potential pitfalls in media interventions with Tagesschau.de, the Handelsblatt, Zeit Online and SZ Online, as well as in a whole-day hearing of the German ministry of the interior. See also an expert opinion written for the former German government in 2017, which kickstarted the revision of the safe third country provision in the future EU legislation, as well as to contributions to (‘Externe Asylverfahren sind kein Zaubermittel’ and ‘Asylverfahren in Drittstaaten: Probleme lösen, nicht nur verlagern’; both in German.