Surge in Asylum Cases Overwhelms NRW Administrative Courts and Oberverwaltungsgericht
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Administrative Courts and Oberverwaltungsgericht (OVG) Grapple with Rising Asylum Proceedings
The administrative courts in North Rhine-Westphalia and the Oberverwaltungsgericht (OVG) in Münster experienced a significant increase in asylum proceedings in the past year. In the first instance, the courts received 26,500 complaints and applications in 2024, representing a 29% surge compared to the previous year.
While only a fraction of these cases reach the OVG, the court reported a substantial increase in asylum-related proceedings. In 2024, the OVG handled 1600 such cases, an increase of nearly 70% from the 950 cases it received in 2023.
Courts Maintain Efficiency Despite Increased Caseload
Despite the rise in caseload, the administrative courts managed to reduce the average processing time for asylum proceedings from 25 months in 2021 to 15 months in 2024, according to Jörg Sander, Vice-President of the OVG.
"We are pleased that the administrative courts have managed to reduce the processing times even with the increased number of cases," Sander said. "It was critical that the courts in NRW not only maintained their staffing levels but also received additional support with three new chambers specifically for asylum proceedings."
Significant Increase in OVG Caseload
The OVG in Münster is also facing a substantial increase in new cases. In 2024, the court received 274 new cases in its main proceedings, representing a significant increase from the 218 cases received in 2023.
Notable Cases on the Horizon
This year, the OVG is expected to issue judgments on several high-profile cases, including:
- Federal funding of the AfD-affiliated Desiderius Erasmus Foundation
- Dismissal of a police officer for making inappropriate comments in WhatsApp groups
- Dispute over historic preservation and wind power around the World Heritage site Kloster Corvey and the Datteln 4 coal-fired power plant
Curiosity in the Schabowski Memo Case
One particularly curious case involves the famous "Schabowski memo," which is on display at the Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik (House of History of the Federal Republic of Germany). On November 9, 1989, Politburo member Günter Schabowski read the new travel regulations for GDR citizens from the memo, famously announcing "immediately, without delay."
A journalist is suing to have the names of the first and second sellers of the memo to the foundation made public.
