Bundestag
Migration: Union counters with its own “Germany Pact”
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser rejects allegations of inaction on the issue of migration. photo
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
Chancellor Scholz has offered the Union cooperation in a “Germany Pact”. The CDU and CSU are turning the tables and presenting a “Germany Pact” to limit migration. There is a hail of mutual accusations in the Bundestag.
When it comes to migration policy, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has rejected accusations from the Union that it is inactive or even aggravates the situation. “Our measures are working. We control and regulate migration,” said the SPD politician Bundestag in a hard-fought debate. As the leading speaker for the Union parties, CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt sharply attacked Faeser. It is “not a driving force” in Europe, but “the Trojan horse that is exacerbating the migration crisis”.
Meanwhile, appeals from municipalities and states to the federal government continued. In a comprehensive catalog of demands, the Bavarian districts demanded a “significant limitation and control” of illegal migration. The “persistent emergency mode” must be ended.
Union calls for joint limitation of migration
In the Bundestag, the CDU and CSU tried to put Faeser and the federal government under pressure with a motion under the heading “Germany Pact in Migration Policy – Stop Irregular Migration”. “We offer you to solve this issue with us, because otherwise it could develop into a major social conflict,” said Dobrindt. Asylum numbers are rising, municipalities are overloaded, acceptance is dwindling.
The Union was reacting to Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), who in turn offered the Union a “Germany Pact” to modernize the country a good two weeks ago in the Bundestag. Scholz then did nothing to fill this “empty word” with life, criticized Dobrindt.
In its application, the Union now called, among other things, for the list of safe countries of origin for accelerated asylum procedures to be expanded to include Georgia, Moldova, India, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. Following the example of the border with Austria, border controls should also be introduced at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. Effective agreements should also be concluded with relevant countries of origin to take back their nationals. The federal and state governments should increase their efforts towards voluntary returns and deportations.
EU negotiations on reform of the European asylum system
The Federal Government was also called upon to work in the ongoing EU negotiations on reforming the European asylum system to ensure that asylum procedures can be carried out without restrictions in “safe third countries” in the future. People would then have to wait outside the EU for a decision on their asylum application.
In the debate, the parliamentary director of the AfD parliamentary group, Bernd Baumann, accused the Union of adopting his party’s positions out of panic with its demands to limit migration.
In her speech, Faeser referred to the reform of the European asylum system that has already been initiated, to intensified cooperation with Poland and the Czech Republic at the borders and to increased federal police for the so-called covert search. “So we’re already taking action wherever you ask.” She called Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder’s (CSU) proposal for a migration cap “pure populism” – that would only strengthen the right-wing extremists. There are no easy solutions. The traffic light coalition rejected the Union proposal with its majority in the Bundestag.
No relief is planned for family reunification
The Interior Minister also rejected reports that there are currently plans to make family reunification easier for refugees. Reports of such plans had previously caused additional excitement.
The FDP and Greens also defended themselves against the attacks from the CDU and CSU in the plenary session. FDP parliamentary group vice-president Konstantin Kuhle accused the Union of having rejected the Chancellor’s offered hand with sharp debate tones. He also called for the already planned classification of Georgia and Moldova as safe countries of origin and an extension of exit detention to be implemented. The FDP would also like to have Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco on this list, but the Greens reject that in the traffic light.
Katrin Göring-Eckardt (Greens) said: “We need order, yes. But we also need humanity.” The municipalities need emergency financial aid. The procedures for clarifying the status of migrants need to be quicker. Clara Bünger (Left) criticized that the Union’s proposal did not offer any substantial solutions, but rather “only focused on isolation and disenfranchisement”. The municipalities need more money.