|
BERLIN, Nov. 27-- German voters are divided over the question of whether the new United Nations migration compact will lead to a rise in asylum claims, according to a study seen by the German press agency (DPA) on Tuesday. According to the study, just under 40 percent of citizens were concerned that foreigners could be granted additional rights to humanitarian stay. Another 40 percent said that they did not know, or did not want to answer the question, while 22.7 percent saw no risk of an increase in asylum claims. The findings were based on a survey of 2,026 respondents which was conducted by the Insa opinion research institute for the "Value Union" association, which was formed by conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) members. Although Germany's federal government is officially supportive of the UN migration compact, some CDU/CSU politicians, including health minister Jens Spahn (CDU) have criticized its wording and successfully called for the party to re-open discussions on the subject. The document in question, which is technically speaking only a declaration of intent, is scheduled to be passed formally at a special UN summit in Morocco in mid-December. According to the UN, its key four objectives are to ease the pressure on host countries, enhance refugee self-reliance, expand access to third-country solutions, and support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity. | 
