**Delays in Review by Germany, UK, Italy, and Others**
**Right-Wing Parties Call for Repatriation**
As the Syrian civil war concludes with a victory for Sunni rebels, European countries are halting asylum procedures for Syrian refugees. The Sunni residents who sought asylum to escape the Shia regime of Bashar al-Assad are seen as no longer needing asylum.
According to Reuters on the 9th, Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees announced that it would suspend asylum reviews for Syrian refugees, citing unpredictable developments in Syria. However, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser clarified that this decision would not affect those already granted asylum. In Germany alone, there have been 72,420 Syrian asylum applications in the past 11 months, with 47,270 still pending. Following Germany’s lead, the UK, Italy, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Greece have also decided to suspend their asylum processes for Syrians. France is expected to announce a similar decision soon, and Austria’s Interior Ministry stated that it would reassess existing asylum permits. Among the approximately 970,000 Syrian nationals residing in Germany, around 780,000 have been granted or have applied for asylum status. Austria, with 110,000, and Sweden, with 90,000, along with the Netherlands, with 80,000, also host significant numbers of Syrian refugees. Most of these refugees are Sunni Muslims who fled Assad’s oppressive regime. According to the CIA, Sunnis make up 74% of Syria’s population, while Shias constitute about 13%.
Right-wing parties across Europe are calling for the swift repatriation of Syrian refugees, fueling anti-immigrant sentiments. Gerhard Karner of Austria’s conservative People’s Party (OVP) stated that he had instructed preparations for orderly repatriation and deportation processes. Jens Spahn, Deputy Leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a center-right opposition party, suggested using charter flights to Syria and offering 1,000 euros (approximately 1.51 million won) in resettlement costs. Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy expressed concerns that this flow toward Syria might quickly reverse, potentially increasing the number of people entering Europe and the UK through dangerous illegal migration routes.