State steps in to house asylum seekers

Lampedusa has become a major entry point for would-be immigrants Keystone

Swiss authorities plan to open three new asylum centres with capacity for hundreds of people in response to a significant increase in new arrivals.

The move will take the pressure off the cantonal accommodation centres, which after sustained cutbacks have no extra room to cope with surges in demand.

In August the Federal Migration Office received 1,600 asylum applications, compared with 800 to 1,000 in recent years.

The projected annual total of 13,000 for this year is still well below the eight-year average, according to official figures.

A delegation of cantonal representatives met Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf on Monday to assess the needs in the system.

“Switzerland is not in an asylum crisis but the situation is strained in some cantons,” said Roger Schneeberger, spokesman for the cantonal authorities, after the meeting.

The cantons are feeling the pinch after cutbacks introduced by Widmer-Schlumpf’s predecessor, who spearheaded the introduction of a more restrictive and less costly asylum policy.

In the case of an increase in demand, the federal authorities were meant to provide cover until the cantons could expand their capacity.

Army accommodation

The cantonal directors have welcomed the provision of new centres to be converted from army barracks. It has not yet been established which barracks will be used and when they will be opened.

Despite the scramble for beds now, the number of people seeking asylum has declined steadily in the past decade.

“We are not at all in a crisis situation if you look back to the end of the 1990s and the wars in Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina, where we had almost 50,000 asylum seekers in one year,” Yann Golay of the non-governmental Swiss Refugee Council told swissinfo.

“But the problem now is that when the cantons have to react to an increase, they don’t have the spare capacity to do so in the short term,” he added.

Most of the new applicants come from Sri Lanka, Somalia, Nigeria, Eritrea and Iraq. Their first goal is to reach outer maritime borders of the European Union. The island of Lampedusa in southern Italy has been highlighted as a busy entry point for migrants making the crossing from North Africa.

“Almost half of all asylum seekers come from sub-Saharan countries,” Eduard Gnesa, director of the Federal Migration Office said in a Swiss public radio interview.

“It is very clear that the increase in the numbers of Eritreans, Somalis and Nigerians since June can be traced back to the immigration flow on Lampedusa,” Gnesa said.

Border crossing

Some of the arrivals in Lampedusa, as well as Malta and Greece are making their way to Switzerland.

“We estimate that about 45 per cent of asylum seekers cross the southern Swiss border illegally. Most EU countries have also experienced an increase in asylum applications in the past two months,” Gnesa added.

According to NGO spokesman Golay, there are several reasons for the increase in numbers.

“The first is that the countries that proportionally create the most refugees in Switzerland, such as Somalia, Eritrea, Sri Lanka and Iraq, currently find themselves in an extremely difficult or even worsening situation,” Golay told swissinfo.

“It’s also the case that there is more human trafficking in the spring and summer months because the weather is more favourable, with people arriving slightly later in Switzerland.”

Golay also points out that the deterrent effect of Switzerland tightening its asylum laws has now effectively worn off.

“The problem is that all the European countries are playing the same game and the message that Switzerland is a tough country is only short lived. In the longer term it is not going to prevent the people that need protection or dream of a better future from coming here.”

swissinfo with agencies

Key facts

The projected 2008 annual total of asylum applications is 13,000.
This would be an increase of 3,000 on last year.
The average number of applications annually over the past eight years is 17,500.
1,600 people lodged asylum applications in Switzerland in August 2008.