“No one in the CSU is interested in overthrowing the chancellor, splitting the CDU / CSU faction or the government coalition,” said German Interior Minister Bild am Sonntag in Germany. Horst Seehofer, German Interior Minister, considers compromise possible in the dispute about refugees who recently broke out between him and Chancellor Angela Merkel. “At stake is the cohesion of Europe, as well as cohesion in Germany. The situation is serious, but surmountable, ”the minister wrote in an article published on the website of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper on Sunday, June 17.
At the same time, Seehofer believes that he, as the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, should have the right not to let migrants into Germany who, in accordance with the interpretation of European law, are not allowed to relocate to Germany. “We should have discussions about this in the CDU and CSU, together and striving for a mutually acceptable solution,” said the Minister and Chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU), a member of the conservative bloc together with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by Merkel. According to Seehofer, decisions on migration policy issues that will be adopted by the participants of the EU summit at the end of June will be crucial.
“No one in the CSU is interested in the overthrow of the Chancellor”
In an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, the German Interior Minister said that “no one in the CSU is interested in overthrowing the Chancellor, splitting the CDU / CSU faction or (the ruling. – Ed.) Coalition.” “We finally want to find a promising solution to deny refugees entry on our borders,” continued Seehofer.
Earlier, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported that Seehofer spoke extremely negatively about Merkel on June 14 at a meeting of CSU representatives in the government with the head of the CSU parliamentary group, Alexander Dobrindt. The Interior Minister allegedly said twice that “he can no longer work with this woman,” meaning Chancellor Merkel, writes Welt am Sonntag.
The essence of the conflict
A serious conflict over the refugee issue arose in the CDU / CSU bloc, which, together with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), forms the ruling coalition. CSU Chairman Seehofer intends not to let in foreigners whose asylum applications have already been registered in other EU countries. This proposal is contained in the migration plan, which Seehofer intends to submit to the federal government.
CDU Chairman Angela Merkel advocates a pan-European solution to this problem and believes that Seehofer’s proposal is contrary to European asylum standards and German law, as well as unfair to countries such as Greece and Italy.
German Interior Minister intends to replace benefits for refugees with non-monetary assistance
Horst Seehofer plans to achieve an almost complete abolition of cash benefits for asylum seekers, reports Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung. According to the German newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung, the refugee plan developed by Interior Minister Horst Seehofer implies a sharp reduction in refugee payments. The head of the Christian Social Union (CSU) proposes to almost completely replace benefits with non-monetary forms of social assistance, the newspaper writes on Monday, June 18, citing sources in the party.
In addition, according to these data, the German Minister of the Interior intends to extend from 15 to 36 months the period during which asylum seekers receive basic assistance before payments rise to the level of ordinary social benefits.
The plan will be presented on June 19
As the newspaper further notes, these two points will not find support from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), which is part of the ruling coalition. In January, when Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder presented a similar plan, the Social Democrats announced “mockery” of the refugees, the newspaper recalls.
The Refugee Policy Master Plan, developed by Seehofer, contains 63 points. The German Interior Minister will introduce him to the federal government on June 19.
More than 70 percent of Bavarians allow the dissolution of the ruling coalition
Meanwhile, according to a survey conducted by Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung, almost 71 percent of Bavarian residents favor the CSU to leave the coalition in Berlin if Seehofer fails to meet their refugee requirements. It is a proposal not to let in foreigners whose asylum applications have already been registered in other EU countries. Only 24 percent consider such a decision unacceptable.
In recent weeks, in the CDU / CSU bloc, which together with the SPD forms the ruling coalition, a serious conflict has arisen in the policy regarding refugees. Horst Seehofer insists that the German authorities refuse to allow illegal immigrants into the country who have applied for asylum in other EU countries.
In turn, the CDU chairman Angela Merkel advocates a pan-European solution to this problem and believes that the proposal of the CSU leader is contrary to European asylum standards and German law, as well as unfair to countries such as Greece and Italy.
German prosecutors filed documents for extradition of Puigdemon Spain
Schleswig-Holstein’s prosecutor’s office found it permissible to extradite a Catalan politician on charges of rebellion despite a previous German court decision. Since, as the ministry believes, the politician’s escape is still highly probable, the petition for the detention of Puigdemon was again filed with the court, the prosecutor’s representative said on Friday, May 1. As a spokeswoman for the court said on Friday, it is not yet known when the court will consider these petitions.
Contrary to the previous decision of the Supreme Court of Schleswig-Holstein, the prosecutor’s office, according to the submitted documents, considers it acceptable to extradite a Catalan politician both on charges of organizing a rebellion and on charges of misuse of state funds.
“The materials presented by the Spanish authorities demonstrate the full scope of the unrest on the day of the referendum on independence, of which the prosecutor is also guilty,” the prosecutor’s statement said. According to the department, Puchdemon’s actions, according to German law, can be qualified as a violation of public order, coupled with violent actions of a group of people, under especially aggravating circumstances.
The prosecutor’s office also noted that there is no obstacle to the extradition of the Catalan politician of Spain, since Puchdemon in Spain is not threatened with political persecution from the point of view of the German law on the provision of legal assistance to other states. “A democratic rule of law has the right to repel attacks on its existence using criminal law,” the prosecutor’s statement said.
Puigdemon was detained on March 25 in Germany on the border with Denmark. Soon after, he was released on his own recognizance. The politician is currently in Berlin and is required to report to the police weekly.
