With her directive, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is meeting the CDU/CSU’s needs. The aim is not only to limit illegal migration, but also to protect domestic security from current threats from Islamist terrorism and cross-border crime.
Following a meeting on migration with the CDU/CSU parliamentary group and representatives of the states last week, the coalition government also developed a “model for effective rejection in line with European law”, as reported in government circles.
This model goes beyond the current rejection procedures. Details of the proposal are not yet available.
The Social Democrat informed the CDU/CSU parliamentary group about this and suggested confidential talks on the matter. Such talks with the CDU/CSU parliamentary group and the chairman of the Conference of Prime Ministers of the states could take place next Tuesday.
CDU/CSU sets conditions
CDU chairman Friedrich Merz is demanding an extension of the border rejection procedure as a condition for continuing talks with the government on migration policy, which began after a knife attack in Solingen that left three people dead and five injured.
Returns at German land borders only take place in specific cases: if someone has been banned from entering the country or has not applied for asylum. According to the Interior Ministry, more than 30,000 people have been returned since October.
Austria opposed
In mid-October 2023, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser ordered permanent border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. On the land border with Austria, such controls, justified by irregular migration, have been in place since September 2015.
Austria has already announced that it will not take back any migrants rejected by Germany. As Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner told the tabloid “Bild”, “There is no room to maneuver here. That is the law. That is why I have instructed the director of the federal police not to carry out any seizures.” If people are not allowed into Germany and are not accepted back by Austria, they will be stuck in the border zone. (DPA/AFP/jar)
The article comes from the website German Welle