Friedrich Merz explains his “cityscape” statements

After heavy criticism from the opposition and the SPD about his statement about problems in the “cityscape”, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) explained in more detail for the first time what he meant by this during a visit to London. On the one hand, he emphasized that Germany will continue to need immigration in the future, especially for the labor market. On the other hand, he named for the first time who bothers him in the public image of German cities: migrants without residence rights and jobs who do not adhere to the rules that apply in Germany.

“Yes, we will continue to need immigration in the future. This applies to Germany as well as to all countries in the European Union. We also need it, and above all, for our labor markets,” said the Chancellor on the sidelines of the Western Balkans summit in the British capital.

People with a migrant background are already an “indispensable part of our labor market”. “We can no longer do without them, no matter where they come from, what skin color they are and no matter whether they are only the first, second, third or fourth generation to live and work in Germany.”

However, problems would arise from those migrants who did not have permanent residence status, who did not work and who did not adhere to the rules applicable in Germany. “Many of these also determine the public image in our cities. That’s why so many people in Germany and other countries in the European Union – this doesn’t just apply to Germany – are now simply afraid to move around in public spaces,” said the Chancellor. That affects train stations, that affects subways, that affects certain parks. “That affects entire parts of the city, which also causes big problems for our police.”

The causes of these problems must be solved. “We must and can only solve this together in Europe.” The population’s trust in the rule of law must be restored, where it has been lost in recent years. That is why the common European immigration and asylum policy will be discussed again at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. “This is work that we must do together, but that also requires national efforts.”

The starting point for the debate is a statement by the Chancellor at a press conference in Potsdam last week on migration policy. Previous failures are being corrected and progress is being made, he said there. “But of course we still have this problem in the cityscape, and that’s why the Federal Minister of the Interior is now in the process of enabling and carrying out returns on a very large scale.” When asked what he meant by the statement, he later said at a press conference: “Ask your daughters.”