Criticism of Merz’s announcement about Syrians leaving the country

After a meeting with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the Chancellery, Merz set the goal of 80 percent of the more than 900,000 Syrians in Germany returning to their home country in the next three years. The Chancellor added that al-Sharaa wanted this. For his part, he emphasized that the civil war in Syria was over and that there was fundamentally the prospect of returning.

Rehlinger expressed understanding for the Syrian President’s wish. Some Syrians would certainly follow this, and that is a good thing. “However, many Syrians are our compatriots today because they are integrated here, work in shortage jobs, care for the elderly or drive buses, and often have even become German citizens,” said Rehlinger.

Hospital society emphasizes importance for health system

The German Hospital Association pointed out that Syrian doctors made up the largest group of foreign doctors in Germany. “They are therefore of considerable importance for health care,” said deputy chairwoman Henriette Neumeyer to the editorial network Germany (RND). At the end of 2024, 5,745 Syrian doctors would have worked in German hospitals.

Syrian skilled workers are also of utmost importance in nursing. The German Hospital Association assumes there are more than 2,000 Syrian nurses in German hospitals. “If these skilled workers were to leave the country again, it would have a noticeable impact on supply,” says Neumeyer. “Forcing a return would not be productive from a health care perspective.”

Green politician criticizes people’s uncertainty

The Green Party member of the Bundestag Luise Amtberg, rapporteur in the Foreign Affairs Committee on Syria and the Middle East, described the Chancellor’s appearance as “shameful”. “In doing so, he is unsettling hundreds of thousands of German-Syrians who are given the impression that they will have to leave Germany again in the coming years,” said Amtberg in the “Rheinische Post”. She told the newspapers of the Funke media group: “Anyone who puts up such figures not only ignores the fragile security situation in Syria, but also the fact that many Syrian refugees have long been part of our society.”

Migration researcher believes expectations are unrealistic

The Konstanz migration researcher Daniel Thym considers the goal of a return of around 80 percent of the Syrians living in Germany to be completely unrealistic. “Such high return numbers are likely to prove to be an illusion and are unattainable even through voluntary departure,” he told the “Handelsblatt”. So far only a few thousand Syrians have voluntarily returned to their homeland. It remains unclear why this should fundamentally change. This also applies to forced deportations.