Interior Ministers' Conference in Bremerhaven: Fight against AfD and violence!

Interior Ministers' Conference in Bremerhaven: Fight against AfD and violence!

Bremerhaven is all about the interior ministers conference (IMK), which gathered there from today until June 13, 2025. This regular conference has had a permanent place in the political calendar since 1954 and is currently taking place twice a year. The chair changes and is currently in the hands of Bremen. The focus of the discussions is on various burning topics, including dealing with the AfD, which is assessed as "secured right -wing extremist". Representatives of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution are actively given space to give relevant insights and enrich the debate. It is undoubtedly particularly exciting with the fact that the resolutions of the IMK are not binding, but rather act as an expression of will.

A central concern of Ulrich Mäurer, the chairman of the IMK, is the alignment of the efforts between the federal and state governments, especially with regard to a possible AfD ban procedure. He critically commented on the lack of coordination in this area, since the opinion of the protection of the constitution is considered too vague. At the same time, he is promoting a firing ban on New Year's Eve, but has so far received little support in this. Illegal sports betting in amateur sports are also another point on the agenda.

violence against women in focus

A serious topic that is also illuminated at the IMK is violence against women. Around the ongoing need for action in Germany, Mäurer says: "This is a huge problem". Daily cases of femalitis are a disturbing signal. Over 100 women were killed by their partner or ex-partner in Germany in 2022, often out of motifs such as jealousy, ownership claims or hatred of women. It is particularly fatal that there is no specific criminal offense for female. A rethink is required here, which is reflected in the planned law to equip violence. These ankle cuffs, based on a Spanish model, are intended to prevent perpetrators and victims from getting too close by being monitored with the help of GPS and triggering the alarm in the event of a hazard.

The IMK also discusses various approaches to combat violence among young people and emphasizes the need for pedagogical measures instead of reducing the penalty limit, which is currently 14 years. For Bremen, this currently means that a newly founded special commission is specifically taken against predatory offenses. The information is also interesting that 55 percent of the detainees come from Morocco and Algeria in Bremen. Mäurer pleads for a limitation of migration in order not to continue to burden the challenges in the education sector and on the housing market.

The challenges of migration

Another important topic of the IMK is the reform of the European asylum system and the guarantee of safe European external borders. Mäurer sees a need for action here in order to counteract the burden of 600,000 people in two years. The worrying situation requires clear guidelines and reforms to meet the challenges of current times.

A further look at the topic of violence against women enables the "monitor violence against women-implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Germany". This report, which was presented on December 3, 2024, explains developments and efforts in the past few years of the federal and state governments in this sensitive area. Here he shows how important it is to meet human rights obligations and actually implement the Istanbul Convention.

Overall, it can be seen that the IMK in Bremerhaven offers an important forum to discuss relevant social and political issues to discuss and solutions. But as always: Words must also follow acts so that the discussions and decisions of the conference can arrive in the population and can really make a difference.