A spokeswoman for the German Interior Ministry said Wednesday that an agreement had been made to send back to Spain some migrants arriving in Germany.

Eleonore Petermann said the deal had been signed by the German and Spanish interior ministries on Monday. Spain had not asked for anything from Germany in return, she said.

The announcement covers migrants who have registered as refugees in Spain, with their data recorded in the European Dactyloscopy (Eurodac) fingerprint database for identifying asylum-seekers and people crossing borders in an irregular manner.

The agreement means that people arriving from Spain can be returned there within 48 hours of arrival at the German border. The bilateral agreement is due to come into force on Saturday.

Also this weekend, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to visit Spain to meet with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

It is the first such agreement to be made, although Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has said he wants to draw up similar arrangements with other European countries. Petermann said similar bilateral agreements were being negotiated with Greece and Italy.

Under European Union rules, migrants arriving in the EU should register and their application be processed in the country where they make their initial entry.

Managing migrant arrivals in Europe

An increasing number of migrants have made their way from North Africa to Europe via Spain this year.

Watch video 02:44 Share Migrants find new route Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/32QpI Strait of Gibraltar becoming popular migrant route

There is pressure on the coalition government in Germany to avoid the situation seen in 2015, when nearly 900,000 people entered the country, fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Over the past month, the Interior Ministry under Seehofer has set up transit centers on the border separating Austria from Seehofer's home state of Bavaria, and "Anker" centers to hold and process asylum seekers.

Bavaria opens 'Anker' migrant transit center First migrant center opens in Bavaria The centers are part of the "migration master plan" of Interior Minister Horst Seehofer. The concept behind the centers is that asylum seekers will be kept there until their right to stay is determined.

Bavaria opens 'Anker' migrant transit center Controlled immigration Bavaria will set up a total of seven "Anker" centers, each holding between 1,000 and 1,500 refugees. The name derives from the German words Ankunft, Entscheidung, Rückführung (arrival, decision, return). The aim is to create a sort "one-stop" center with all the relevant government agencies required to complete the entire asylum process represented on site.

Bavaria opens 'Anker' migrant transit center Critics warn of ghettoization Church groups, refugee advocates and opposition parties have all voiced their concern, describing the centers as deportation camps and warning of the ghettoization of migrant communities. The NGO Save the Children said the centers were "no place for children," as they facilitated "tension and aggression."

Bavaria opens 'Anker' migrant transit center Compromise solution The centers are the result of a last-minute political deal between Chancellor Angela Merkel and Interior Minister Horst Seehofer. His initial plan to turn migrants away at the border created a political crisis that could have toppled the coalition government of Merkel's Christian Democrats, their Bavarian sister party the CSU and the Social Democrats.

Bavaria opens 'Anker' migrant transit center Little enthusiasm for centers in Germany The decision to create the centers was taken at federal government level, but responsibility lies with Germany's individual states. Bavaria — where Seehofer's conservative CSU faces a crucial state election in October — has taken the initiative. But others have delayed the establishment of the migrant transfer centers or refused to take part in the policy. Author: Andy Valvur



jm/rt (dpa, EPD)

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