Chair of Public, European and International Law

Prominent political actors in Brussels and the Member States are pushing for the realisation of safe third country schemes, following the British ‘Rwanda Plan’ and the Italian ‘Albania Model’. The special edition of the Migration Policy Forum (in German language), organised by the Research Centre Immigration & Asylum Law of the University of Konstanz, serves as a platform for experts from ministries, NGOs, parliaments, courts, academia, and civil society to discuss regulatory options and…

Several European countries have started a discussion as to weather Syrians and Afghans who are not facing persecution can be returned to their home states. That debate has reached Germany following the murder of a policemen by what appears to be a racial Islamist. Such debates are notoriously complex: both legally and politically. Professor Thym explains the practical options and the legal limitations in interviews with the news channels ZDFheute LIVE (‘Frage der politischen Prioritätensetzung’)…

A popular reference in the public debate is the designation of Germany as a ‘country of immigration’ (Einwanderungsland). The term is often used in an affirmative manner, as if the recognition of a factual reality was a self-fulfilling prophecy what should be done. That would obviously be too simple. ‘Countries of immigration’ need lively and constructive debate about the future rules and policies governing entry into the territory and the equal membership of those residing legally. In the open …