Understanding Europe

The 'Dublin Regulation' currently dictates where asylum seekers in the EU are supposed to stay (in the country of first entry, typically in southern and eastern Europe). The process is supposed to change in 2026, when EU migration reforms are set to take effect | Photo: picture alliance
Since September 2024, Germany has monitored all of its borders, such as here at the border crossing from Austria to Germany in Oberaudorf | Photo: Michael Bihlmayer/IMAGO
File photo: As a refugee or asylum seeker, accessing healthcare in Germany will depend on your residency status and how long you have been living in Germany | Photo: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa/picture alliance
Migration has been a key issue in the German elections. This photo captured in Brandenburg, eastern Germany, shows campaign posters for the pro-business FDP, the center-left SPD and the Greens, as well as Volt. The Volt party is not covered in our series because it is polling well below 5 percent and unlikely to make it into the Bundestag | Photo: picture alliance
File photo: The number of asylum applications in Germany has fallen since 2023 | Photo:Boris Roessler/dpa/picture alliance