The explosive atmosphere that prevailed in the debate held in the Bundestag was further intensified when the difficult issue of budget cuts for 2025 was overshadowed by immigration.
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The German government will unveil a new migration and internal security package on Friday, even as the much-vaunted deal with the main opposition is a thing of the past after Christian Democrat leader Friedrich Merz did not attend a meeting, considering Scholz's proposed measures insufficient.
"The migration issue is not solved simply by an interview with Sunday's Bild," Chancellor Scholz said in a direct shot at Merz from the floor of parliament. Nevertheless, he said he remained open to dialogue with the opposition and supported the government's decisions.
Germany, he said, needs migrants, will remain an open society and will continue to offer protection to those persecuted, but "you can't just come to Germany whoever wants. We have to be able to choose who comes." However, on the Christian Union side, it was not Friedrich Merz who appeared on the floor of parliament, but Alexander Dobrind from the group of Bavarian Christian Social MPs.
The new migration package, despite objections from the opposition, which does not consider it strict, marks in any case a shift in the German stance with wider consequences for first reception countries such as Greece.
What Germany's plans envisageThe plans of the German Minister for Foreign Affairs. Interior under House Speaker Nancy Faeser includes border controls, more rejections of asylum claims, but also swift returns to countries of first entry into the EU or deportations to third countries. Control procedures will be carried out quickly at the border by the police, which will be given enhanced powers. In other words, it will examine which country is competent, under the Dublin Regulation, to handle each asylum case, while the creation of detention centres at the German border will also be examined.
The seriousness of the situation is also reflected in Faeser's announcement to extend temporary border controls to all land borders of the country from September 16 and for six months. In addition to Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland, where controls were already in place, they are now extended to the borders with France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Denmark. Similar controls were imposed during Euro 2024/
There are two main causes: limiting irregular migration and addressing the Islamist threat following the Solingen terrorist attack, with Islamic State claiming responsibility.
In the background, of course, German media see in the poll slump of the three parties of the coalition government, the recent disastrous results in the local elections of Thuringia and Saxony with the triumph of the far-right AfD and the next federal elections in a year. According to a recent poll, 77% of respondents call for a change in German immigration and asylum policy.
However, the European Commission has already been informed about the imposition of temporary controls at the entire German border, because it is essentially a suspension of the Schengen rules due to extraordinary circumstances. Such measures must be truly exceptional, temporary and respect the principle of proportionality.
However, there are already strong reactions from neighbors. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks of Germany's "unacceptable" plans, saying that the Schengen area is effectively suspended, while Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner has said in stern tones that Austria will not accept returns of asylum seekers from Germany. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said: "Germany, welcome to the club!"
On Wednesday, Germany's Christian Democratic Party (CDU), which had been invited to participate in discussions on the policy to curb irregular migration, withdrew from the negotiations, denouncing the government's reluctance to take action.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz said the "government is leaderless" and that "the attempt to find a common path has failed". Speaking to the BILD newspaper, he said: "The federal government is obviously hopelessly divided internally and cannot agree on effective measures. The governing coalition capitulates to the challenge of irregular migration. The government is incompetent and leaderless."
He also accused the Green party of "blocking" the measures. "The coalition is green-blocked and incapable of taking effective measures to curb irregular migration. This inability to act is a threat to order and social cohesion in Germany. The government's refusal to implement effective measures, such as total rejection at the border, is a capitulation," said Alexander Dobrind, head of the Christian Social Union (CSU) federal deputies.
