Status: 03/30/2023 04:44 am
The Union and the FDP are demanding that the federal government tighten the right to asylum. The “limits of resilience” have been exceeded in some parts of Germany, according to CDU leader Merz. He accused Chancellor Scholz of “negligence” in refugee policy.
In the Union and the FDP, demands are getting louder to tighten the right to asylum and to limit illegal immigration. Before today’s municipal summit of the Union on the refugee crisis, CDU chairman Friedrich Merz accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) of negligence in refugee policy.
In an interview with the “Bild” newspaper, Merz said: “The municipalities are begging the chancellor to finally act.” The Chancellor’s behavior shook the confidence of the European partners in Germany. “Europe finally needs a common approach to asylum policy.”
The CDU leader said that there are also “limits to resilience in Germany. They have been reached in many places, if not exceeded in some cities and communities. We must therefore limit irregular immigration to a manageable level.”
With 30,000 asylum applications per month, Germany is “currently far above the guideline” of the previous federal government of 200,000 per year. Specifically, Merz called for more protection of the EU’s external borders and asylum centers at the borders. “Asylum procedures should be carried out at the border of the European Union if possible, for example by reception and decision-making centers close to the border.”
Bavaria’s interior minister questions the level of social benefits
Meanwhile, Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) questioned the level of social benefits for asylum seekers. He told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (NOZ) that Germany pays the highest social benefits to asylum seekers in a European comparison. At the same time, new debt is higher because of the energy crisis and the Ukraine war.
“We have to seriously think about whether we can afford it in the long term. It’s an attraction that needs to be talked about.” Herrmann also called on the federal government to limit immigration and accelerate the deportation of rejected asylum seekers. To do this, the federal government must put pressure on the countries of origin to take back their nationals.
Report: FDP wants more order and consistency in migration policy
As the Bayern media group reported on Thursday, the FDP parliamentary group has passed a position paper that calls for more order and consistency in the entire migration policy. Specifically, according to the newspaper group, which has exclusive access to the position paper, the Liberals are demanding that asylum applications can also be examined in third countries in the future.
The FDP also wants to expand the competences of the Federal Police when returning people who are obliged to leave the country. In addition, the authors call for a “repatriation offensive by the federal states”.
This Thursday, Merz invites local politicians to the “refugee summit” in Berlin. Around 700 district administrators and mayors are expected. The CDU/CSU opposition wants to discuss the problems of accommodating refugees.
Kühnert warns against poisoning the debate
SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert warned against poisoning the debate. “If the Union wants to get involved in migration policy, it would be good if this time it resisted the temptation to poison the debate with social tourism slogans and similar noise,” said Kühnert of the editorial network Germany.
The challenges, such as the lack of living space, are already clear to everyone, says Kühnert. “For this reason, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has long since initiated an orderly procedure. Among other things, this involves the mobilization of federal properties, but also the digitization of processes in the municipalities.”