A German government minister has said that his government has pledged to provide €150 million to help migrants return home.
The aid funds will be available to both those whose asylum applications have been rejected as well as those who return voluntarily to their home countries. It is targeted primarily as people from Iraq, Afghanistan and from Balkan countries.
"For the next three years, we will put aside €50 million a year for this return programme," minister for development Gerd Müller told German media.
He said the funds will help people make a new start. "We can offer them education, professional training, employment and social benefits."
After an unprecedented influx of migrants and asylum seekers last year when the country espoused an “open door” policy, Germany has since tightened its borders and its regulations on migration.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s policy has received criticism from a number of quarters, including her own Christian Democratic Union party. Merkel, 62, is seeking a fourth term as head of state and recognises that national focus must be broader than the migrant situation.
The campaign "won't only be about the refugee issue," she said in an interview. "A lot of it will be about the economy, social security and family policy."
