Migration talk at Illner
“We are not prepared to watch Europe being deliberately destroyed”
By Marko Schlichting
13.09.2024, 04:37
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In the migration dispute, CDU general Carsten Linnemann is receiving a lot of opposition from Green Party leader Ricarda Lang on “Maybrit Illner”. She agrees with Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on the issue of border closures. But everyone wants to resume talks – in theory.
The migration summit that collapsed on Tuesday could continue with a different line-up. This was suggested by CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann on Thursday evening on “Maybrit Illner” on ZDF. On Wednesday evening, the Union parliamentary group manager Thorsten Frei had already suggested continuing the negotiations, and CDU leader Friedrich Merz followed suit on Thursday. But Merz has set one condition. He wants to continue to turn away refugees directly at the border, initially on a trial basis for three months. Then we can see whether the administrative courts in Germany have a legal problem with this.
“This means that Friedrich Merz has now opened the door a crack again, which the CDU slammed very firmly and very loudly on Tuesday,” said journalist Dagmar Rosenfeld from “The Pioneer”. The CDU made a big mistake by pulling out of the migration summit after the traffic light coalition had been very accommodating. The fact that the traffic light coalition has revised its asylum policy again and announced nationwide border controls only happened due to pressure from the Union parties. However, as opposition leader, Merz had no interest in bringing the government a success before the election in Brandenburg, added Tina Hildebrand, head of the politics department at “Zeit”. It is now up to Merz to ensure that the problem at the border is solved by the political center.
CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann says how this could be done. He proposes a new summit, which only Chancellor Olaf Scholz, his deputies and Friedrich Merz should attend. “And if we talk about the border issue and create a system that only allows entry to those who are entitled to it, then we will take a big step forward.” Linnemann would prefer to keep the migration issue out of the elections. “We can talk about this issue every day, we can also talk about it after Brandenburg,” he offers. The Union will continue to support the traffic light coalition if it makes good suggestions. But he is bothered by “the fact that we are not solving the fundamental problem that so many people are coming to us, millions in recent years who are not entitled to it.” That is why the CDU is calling for a change of course in refugee policy.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, meanwhile, praised the performance of the traffic light government after the attack in Solingen: the tightening of gun laws, more powers for the police, faster deportations – that was very good. The border controls that the traffic light coalition began in October led to the rejection of 30,000 people. “The measures are working,” says Faeser. She is ready for further talks with the Union.
“Then there will be total chaos”
While Faeser wants to accommodate the CDU general secretary, Green Party leader Ricarda Lang immediately tears the Union’s proposals to pieces. Rejecting refugees is not legal if there is no emergency. “That is why the CDU offer that has now been made is not an offer, but a chimera,” says Lang. The CDU is proposing a three-month violation of European law. “A country like Germany cannot afford that.”
Closing the borders is only possible if the federal government and the 16 federal states declare an emergency. Lang: “I want to see whether Markus Söder stands up and says that he no longer has Bavaria under control.” In addition, Austria and Poland have already announced that they will not support Germany in its plans. Their grim vision: “Germany breaks the law, then the other partners will also break the law, and then there will be total chaos.” Their offer: “We are ready to discuss possible solutions. But we are not ready to watch as Europe is deliberately destroyed.”
Linnemann against Buschmann’s initiative
Linnemann rejects a compromise proposal from Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann. At a press conference, Buschmann had suggested attempting to completely close several small border sections. “Then people will just cross the green border,” says Linnemann. He is sticking with the Union’s proposal of turning people away at the border. “I am convinced that Ms. Faeser would be willing to go along with this approach,” he says.
Faeser, however, agrees with Lang: “The reception facilities of the federal states are mostly only 50 percent full. This means that at the moment they would not be able to legally prove that an emergency situation exists.” There is also a practical problem: what would happen to a refugee who was rejected by Germany and not accepted by the neighboring country? Should he then remain between the borders? He knows the solution, says Linnemann, but then keeps quiet about it.
Faeser and Lang propose instead to speed up the introduction of European asylum legislation. Faeser also wants to accommodate refugees who enter Germany at the border in anchor centers. Within five weeks, the federal police will then check whether they have the right to stay in Germany. Faeser: “And that’s what I’m offering you. And I believe negotiations are conducted at the table. That’s why the invitation: to come, talk and see what arrangement we can find together. It would be really good for a consensus among the population if we work together.”