Opponents of the compromise of the conservative bloc, Chancellor Angela Merkel, put forward an ultimatum to the German leader to tighten asylum rules, otherwise there is a risk of plunging the country into a political crisis.
Three years later, after the Chancellor’s decision to open the borders of Germany for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Syria and Iraq, Merkel is still trying to find a solution that would put an end to the grumbling of her Bavarian allies from CSU (Christian Social Soy), within the framework of the German liberal refugee policies.
Monday is «a fateful day for Angela Merkel, for the government,» the Bild mass-circulation newspaper published on Sunday.
The Minister of the Interior, CSU Horst Seehofer, was one of the most brutal critics of Merkel’s liberal stance, which has launched millions of refugees into Germany since 2015.
Now, the Minister of the Interior wants to close the borders for new arrivals who were previously registered in other EU countries, often their first stop — Italy or Greece.
But Merkel opposes this, arguing that it will force countries in southern Europe to cope with the influx of migrants on their own.
Instead, she wants to find a common European solution at the EU summit on June 28-29.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with the terms of Interior Minister Horst Seehofer in a dispute over countering illegal migration. Moreover: the parties announced the approval of a plan, the contents of which will become known only after the EU summit.
Concerns over the mass influx of migrants have given populist and anti-immigration forces growth in several European countries, including Italy and Austria, where right-wing parties now share power.
In Germany, voters showed Merkel her lowest result in the September election, casting her first vote for the far-right anti-Islamic AfD (Alternative for Germany).
Several migrant crimes, including the 2016 Christmas market attack and the recent killing and rape of teenage girls, presumably Iraqi, have also helped fuel anger.
The case of a German teenager who was allegedly killed in a supermarket by her Afghan asylum friend will be heard in court on Monday.
By observing the October elections in Bavaria, CSU seeks to reassure voters that it has a roadmap to curb the influx of migrants.
Seehofer’s “immigration master plan” was to become an example of the CSU’s tough stance on new arrivals of refugees.
But the Minister of the Interior was forced to cancel the planned presentation after Merkel did not agree with his proposal not to let some asylum-seekers go, causing controversy over the past week. With all the noise, CSU knows that more is at stake.
Seehofer sounded more conciliatory when he stated that “in the interests of the CSU is not worth the overthrow of the Chancellor and the dissolution of the union. We just want to finally find the exact solution for sending refugees back abroad. ”
Seehofer representatives should meet on Monday to decide which course to follow.
He has a nuclear option to resolve the immediate closure of Germany’s borders, contrary to Merkel’s wishes, or a less aggressive way — to put her an ultimatum for two weeks to deal with other EU countries.
Clarifying that he is inclined toward the latter option, Seehofer wrote in a column in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that “it is important that the EU summit decide at the end of June. The situation is serious, but still resolved. ” Whatever option he chooses, everything will be decided in Merkel’s court.
Party split
The act of rebellion from Seehofer may force the Chancellor to fire him, and this «will be the end of his government and the alliance between the CDU and CSU,» Belder said.
If Merkel sets an ultimatum for two weeks, she will still have a problem — persuading the EU government to sign a common migrant plan.
The central and eastern EU countries, such as Hungary and Poland, either refused directly or resisted the acceptance of refugees under the EU quota system.
The Italian-based government and the ruling conservative party in neighboring Austria have also taken an uncompromising stance on immigration.
Despite cries of protests from relief groups and even the United Nations, Rome has banned the landing of rescue ships carrying migrants.
Merkel’s talks Monday evening with Italy’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, may be decisive, she may have a chance to come to an agreement in Brussels. The Chancellor will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.
It is also reported that Berlin is preparing to convene a meeting between Merkel and the leaders of several EU countries, in the context of the migrant crisis, before the summit in Brussels.
Emphasizing the difficult task confronting Merkel, Welt said: “It will be a miracle if she wins the next EU summit.”
