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.
In the debate about turning back certain migrants at the German border, CDU leader Friedrich Merz has given the traffic light government an ultimatum until Tuesday. “If the federal government is not prepared to give us a binding declaration by next Tuesday that the uncontrolled influx at the borders will be stopped and those who still come will be turned back at the borders in Germany, then further talks with the federal government make no sense,” said Merz at an election campaign event in Brandenburg an der Havel.
The Union parliamentary group leader had already made similar comments on Tuesday after the meeting on migration and internal security – but without giving a specific deadline. Merz himself did not take part in the confidential discussions. Representatives of the traffic light coalition, the states and the Union were present.
Klingbeil criticized ultimatums
The fact that the Union is making rejections a condition for further talks was met with criticism from the SPD. “We have now launched a security package in the traffic light coalition, and now there are demands from the Union, and we are examining whether they fit 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.”
In his election campaign speech that evening, Merz replied that it was no longer necessary to examine whether rejections were legally feasible. “The audit notes that this is possible are in the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Ministry of Justice.”
Lower Saxony SPD Interior Minister Daniela Behrens, who took part in the migration talks in Berlin, said she was open to rejections – under one condition: “My opinion is: If it is legally possible – and that must be examined very thoroughly – then we should do it,” she told the news portal “t-online”. “I think the SPD states can get behind this.”
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 parliamentary manager of the CDU/CSU, Thorsten Frei, had argued that rejections directly at the border were compatible with current law. According to the Dublin rules, the country in which a migrant arrived in Europe is normally responsible for an asylum procedure.
The spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior pointed out that there are already rejections at German borders. Since October last year, 30,000 people have been rejected. Since mid-October 2023, there have been controls at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, and since September 2015 at the German-Austrian border. Rejections are currently possible if someone does not apply for asylum or if there is an entry ban against him or her.
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, emphasised the chief executive. Accommodation is full, staff is limited and the involvement of volunteers has been exhausted.
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, subsidiary protection status for refugees should be abolished, the number of returns – including to Syria and Afghanistan – increased and border controls continued.
SPD wants to discuss security package soon in the Bundestag
According to the SPD’s wishes, the security package should be discussed for the first time in the Bundestag next week. The executive committee of the parliamentary group agreed on this in its meeting to prepare for the closed meeting of SPD MPs, parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich told the German Press Agency.
In response to the knife attack in Solingen last week, the government agreed to tighten gun laws, expand the powers of the security authorities and take further measures to restrict illegal migration. The Federal Ministry of the Interior has announced that it will present legislative texts in the next few days.
Rhein and Wagenknecht with criticism
The chairman of the Conference of Minister Presidents, Boris Rhein (CDU), called for the implementation of the measures previously decided by the federal government to curb irregular migration. “This is taking far too long,” the Hessian head of government told the dpa. Chancellor Olaf Scholz must finally make the limitation a top priority.
BSW boss Sahra Wagenknecht drew a devastating conclusion from Tuesday’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 sees similarities
FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr, on the other hand, described the discussions as “really good talks”. He told the German Press Agency: “We are united by the goal of resolving a social conflict that has existed for years. The seriousness of all those involved these days shows me that together we can bring order and control to migration.”
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.
