Berlin Airport launches EU asylum fast‑track centre with 40 places

Under the European Union’s new asylum and migration pact, a centre for external‑border procedures has opened at Berlin‑Brandenburg Airport (BER). The facility, a repurposed bungalow with bunk beds, provides 40 out of the 374 places Germany must allocate for fast‑track asylum processing. The centre handles people who arrive by plane and immediately request asylum, subjecting them to an accelerated screening that can lead to deportation if protection is denied. Registration is carried out by the Federal Police, while the Brandenburg state authorities manage accommodation and related services. The fast‑track system applies only to nationals from countries that rarely receive protection, those who have provided false identity information, or individuals deemed a security risk; Afghan applicants are excluded. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the move shows Germany is prepared for the EU package. Additional sites are operating in Frankfurt and Munich, with plans for Pforzheim and Düsseldorf. The German Institute for Human Rights will monitor the procedures for possible violations.