The traffic light coalition, the states and the Union have come together. The goal: a joint approach to migration. But the CDU and CSU are setting conditions for this – which is causing resentment.
The SPD has criticized the Union for its call for rejections at the borders as a prerequisite for further talks with the traffic light coalition. “We have now launched a security package in the traffic light coalition, and now there are demands from the Union, and we are checking whether that fits together,” said party leader Lars Klingbeil in the “Frühstart” program on RTL and ntv. “But we should not overlay these negotiations with any demands from the outside, overlay them with ultimatums.”
CDU leader Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday after the meeting on migration and internal security that the states governed by the CDU and CSU only wanted to enter into further talks if people were turned away at the German borders. “If the federal government does not do that, we will not be available to continue these talks.” Merz himself did not take part in the confidential discussions. Representatives of the traffic light coalition, the states and the Union were present.
Green Mihalic: Rejections at the border are not permitted
Green Party interior politician Irene Mihalic told the newspapers of the Funke Media Group: “Rejecting asylum seekers at the border is not permissible under European law, as the Dublin Regulation applies here and the responsible member state must be determined as part of the asylum procedure. This is usually not easy and it would also be practically impossible to do this at the border.”
The CDU/CSU parliamentary manager, Thorsten Frei, had argued that rejections directly at the border were compatible with current law. He referred, among other things, to Article 72 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. This guarantees the EU member states responsibility “for maintaining public order and protecting internal security”.
Mihalic replied that invoking this article was “absurd”. “The national emergency has very narrow limits according to the case law of the ECJ and has never been confirmed by a court.” According to her, the only legally possible solution would be to change European laws such as the Dublin Regulation.
According to the Dublin rules, the country in which a migrant arrived in Europe is normally responsible for an asylum procedure. “Even if the EU regulations do not work satisfactorily, they are always better for Germany than national solo efforts,” said Mihalic.
Local authorities demand changes
The municipalities, for their part, are insisting on participating in the cross-party talks. “After all, the municipalities are the places of integration,” explained the general manager of the Association of Towns and Municipalities, André Berghegger, on Deutschlandfunk. This is where the many people are taken in, housed, cared for and integrated.
The influx of people must decrease, the municipalities have reached their limits, stressed the chief executive. The accommodation is full, staff is limited and the involvement of volunteers is exhausted. Improvements are needed, among other things, in deportations. No one understands why criminals can stay here.
The President of the German Association of Cities, Markus Lewe, said it was right that the federal and state governments wanted to specifically improve protection against terror and violence in Germany. “The cities support the idea that refugees should be deported if they have committed a crime with weapons. The Dublin procedures also absolutely have to be made faster and simpler.”
In a position paper, the German Association of Districts called for a change in migration policy. The ability of municipalities to accept and integrate refugees has been exhausted, it said. A strict limitation of irregular migration is therefore “urgently required”. The association welcomed the security package presented by the federal government at the end of August – but an overall concept for a fundamentally different migration policy is lacking. In the opinion of the Association of Districts, this concept would abolish the subsidiary protection status for refugees, increase the number of returns – including to Syria and Afghanistan – and continue border controls.
Wagenknecht speaks of refusal to work
BSW boss Sahra Wagenknecht drew a devastating conclusion from the previous evening’s meeting. “This was clearly not a migration summit, but a summit of work refusers,” she told the newspapers of the Funke Media Group. She called for the district council’s proposals to be adopted. “After this summit, it seems clear: the numbers will probably not drop significantly by the time of the federal election and the situation will continue to worsen,” said Wagenknecht.
FDP politician Joachim Stamp demanded that social benefits be cut for all those required to leave the country. “All those who are required to leave the country immediately should only receive a ticket for the flight home and a small start-up grant of a few hundred euros after arriving in the destination country,” the former NRW integration minister told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. Stamp is the Federal Government’s special representative for migration agreements. He said he was speaking independently of his office.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
