Duitse minister: vestig asielcentra in Noord-Afrika (en)

EU officials should decide in special EU asylum centres in North Africa who is allowed to enter the continent, German interior minister Otto Schily has proposed.

According to German media, Mr Schily suggested during a meeting with EU interior ministers on Monday (20 July) that special EU asylum agencies be set up in northern Africa, staffed by EU member state officials.

The EU centres should process and judge applications by African asylum seekers before they enter Europe.

"Let us try that on the spot", the minister said to his EU colleagues.

"The problems of Africa should be solved with the help of Europe in Africa, they cannot be solved in Europe", he added.

The idea to create EU asylum outposts on the other side of the Mediterranean was brought up by the British in 2003, and was initially viewed sceptically by other EU states, including the Germans.

But Berlin has changed its mind after the "Cap Anamur" incident of the last few weeks, in which 37 African refugees were forced to make a three-week voyage aboard a German aid agency ship across the Mediterranean.

Italy had initially refused to let the "Cap Anamur" dock, arguing that the African refugees were closer to Malta - another EU member state - and they should apply for asylum there.

The German ship finally docked in Sicily last week, but the Africans were refused asylum by the Italian authorities.

"The Cap Anamur case has revived the debate [on EU asylum centres]", said Mr Schily.

"Sometimes reasonable consequences arise from a negative occurence", he added.

According to the German minister, his proposal encountered no critical reactions from other interior ministers.