Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Union faction in the Bundestag have underlined their serious intention to common solutions to curb irregular migration to come.
Nevertheless, it was not clear until late at night whether another meeting planned for this Tuesday between the government, the Union as the largest opposition force in the federal government and state representatives comes about. The Union faction I am missing further details from the government regarding the legal certainty of rejectionsexplained Parliamentary Secretary Thorsten Frei.
Representatives of the government, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group and the federal states had already met last week. On Monday, Faeser then ordered temporary controls at all German land borders to further reduce the number of illegal entries.
The checks are to begin on September 16 and will initially last for six months. The government has also developed a “model for effective rejections that are compliant with European law,” the ministry said. Faeser said she had informed the Union faction of this and offered confidential discussions on the matter.
EU-wide domino effect expected
“Unfortunately,” the minister did not give him any details in a phone call, Frei said on ARD’s “Tagesthemen.” Last week, it was agreed that the government would communicate its legal position on the matter. Rejections at the border are a decisive criterion for the Union as to whether further talks in this format make sense.
The Union assumes that its opinion is compatible with EU law. Frei also expects a domino effect if Germany rejects people: other countries would then do the same. Within days, if not hours This would lead to more effective European external protectionthe CDU politician was convinced.
Frei stressed: “If we manage to achieve something here, it would be a great achievement for our country and the people here.” The Union is striving to find a solution. However, an “honest solution” must be found on both sides.
Chancellor would be “really happy” about working together with the Union
Chancellor Scholz assured that the government was serious about common solutions“We would also be happy if we could do something together, including with the opposition,” said the SPD politician at the summer party of the party newspaper “Vorwärts”. “Within the framework of clear principles. But we would really be happy.“ The SPD’s offer was meant sincerely. “It won’t be our fault if it doesn’t work“, the Chancellor continued.
Scholz also pointed out that the federal government had already introduced laws and thatThe recently presented security package.
It provides for measures to take a tougher approach to the return of rejected asylum seekers to their countries of origin, steps to combat Islamist terror more decisively and tighten gun laws. It is due to be discussed in the Bundestag on Thursday.
Greens accuse Union of “attempts at blackmail”
Meanwhile, the Greens are harshly criticising the Union’s stance. “Friedrich Merz behaves like a stubborn child”said the parliamentary manager of the Greens parliamentary group, Irene Mihalic, to the editorial network Germany. “These blackmail attempts are just ridiculous.” The Greens would accept the interior minister’s invitation to the meeting.
The temporary controls at all German land borders ordered by Faeser were approved by Union representatives from the states. However, Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris Rhein insisted in the newspapers of the Funke media group and North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul (both CDU) in the “Tagesspiegel” on rejections at the borders.
At the same time, Reul urged “prudent” action. “We also want to preserve the wonderful achievement of open borders in Europe,” he stressed.
SPD leader Saskia Esken told the Funke newspapers that a limitation of irregular migration on watertight grounds was necessary. But it was also important that Germany keeps “a friendly face”.
Left Party leader Martin Schirdewan criticized the overall direction of the debate and linked this to the upcoming budget discussions. “Everyone is talking about isolation. We are not. Instead of continuing to follow the right-wing in order to distract from the next budget cuts, we finally need an investment turnaround for a fair, safe and functioning coexistence in our country,” said Schirdewan.
The police union (GdP) reacted with scepticism to Faeser’s announcement about the border controls. The chairman of the Federal Police, Andreas Roßkopf, raised the question of feasibility in view of the already high workload of his colleagues. “It will be a very sporting challenge,” he told the RND.
Faeser’s announcement also caused concern in the business world. Restrictions on the free movement of people always mean delays and thus cost increases for the economy, said the president of the German Wholesale and Foreign Trade Association (BGA), Dirk Jandura, to the “Handelsblatt”. “They disrupt logistics and thus disrupt supply chains.” (dpa)
