Justice minister to tackle asylum application backlog
Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans has said that rapidly reducing the number of pending asylum applications is one of his main priorities.
Jans was speaking at a press conference in Bern on Tuesday, following his first 100 days in office.
The head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) is looking to reduce the number of pending asylum applications in their first review. In 2023, there were 15,567 such cases, 3,328 more than the previous year.
Jans already announced his intention to extend fast-track 24-hour procedures on unsuccessful applications by the end of April, particularly those from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
+ Why is Switzerland testing a fast-track asylum procedure
His other priorities include better integration of refugees, particularly Ukrainians, into the labour market; and combating organised crime, domestic violence and wage discrimination.
Jans wants to base his work on the principle of “Zämme goht’s besser” (“better together”). Switzerland thrives on the willingness of political forces to work together, Jans was quoted as saying in a press release on Tuesday, adding, “only this willingness has brought us security and freedom”.
The 59-year-old from Basel succeeded fellow Social Democrat Alain Berset on the Federal Council on January 1. According to a survey published in March by Tamedia and 20 Minuten, he was the most popular member of the Federal Council.
Adapted from German by DeepL/kp/jdp
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