In Germany, a country where 28 million people have immigration background (and around 60 million is eligible to vote), migration is a hot topic during the election campaign. In this regard number of parties wish to propose policies that could significantly affect the entire European Union.
Permanent Border Controls – The Merz Plan
The Christian Democrats’ (CDU) candidate for chancellor, Friedrich Merz, wishes to see a number of policies put into place, including these. He has the best chance of creating the next German government and is currently leading the polls.
He was successful in passing a motion in parliament earlier this year calling for the expulsion of migrants from German borders, thanks to the support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP).
It was believed that Merz’s readiness to work with the AfD violated a taboo and jeopardized the “firewall” separating the extreme right from the mainstream German political parties. Germany saw widespread protests in response to the action. However, Merz’s ambitions might affect all of Europe if he is elected chancellor.
Article 72 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) was the subject of Merz’s suggestions. For national security considerations, such as declaring a state of emergency, the treaty permits member states to depart from their obligations under the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). Last summer, Merz brought up this item in his motion, which asserts that the German government has a “duty” to give priority to “national law if European regulations do not function.”
German Parties are United Against Immigration
Different restrictive migration policies are being proposed by Germany’s political parties. The AfD is pushing for a contentious remigration agenda, while the center-left and Greens are supporting measures like terminating refugee benefits and negotiating deportation agreements.
In order to reduce irregular migration, the socialists and greens have suggested stringent measures, such as terminating asylum benefits for those who enter Germany through another EU nation and forging repatriation agreements with non-EU nations to hasten deportations. All rejected asylum seekers will see their benefits reduced, according to the business-friendly FDP.
Olaf Scholz, the incumbent chancellor and the leading candidate for the SPD, opposes “border closures and blanket denial of entry at internal borders.”
The Greens support asylum seekers’ ability to have their claims reviewed individually and oppose permanent border barriers. “Systematic internal border controls and the denial of entry to asylum seekers at the borders” are unacceptable, according to the Left Party. The AfD is calling for even stricter border controls that would deter refugees from entering Germany through other EU nations. While their claims are being reviewed, they wish to hold asylum seekers at the border.In addition to opposing extensive camera surveillance in public areas and opposing data retention and web searches, the AfD seeks to repeal the recent knife prohibitions.
The BSW, Sara Wagenknecht’s party, has profited from the rising belief that refugees are overtaxing Europe’s greatest economy. The AfD wants to completely abandon the European legal system and rely on the German federal police as the border authority, while the FDP is in favor of a trial run of barring access at Germany’s external borders.
The Need of Migrant Workforce
It is anticipated that the nation’s immigration policies will move to the right.
“However, all of the major parties – with the exception of the populist right – agree that you need migration to the German job market,” said Lukas Rudolph, Professor of political behavior at the University of Konstanz.
Meanwhile, German politicians are shy to debating about how to attract the 288,000 migrants the country needs every year to maintain its workforce. With the far right still out of power, Germany’s immigration policy is anticipated to continue changing under a coalition administration, perhaps concentrating on tighter border controls and the regulation of external borders.
“Germany has gained valuable insights from its experiences in integrating diverse cultures,” said Manes Weisskircher of the University of Dresden’s Institute of Political Sciences. Some immigrant communities have successfully integrated into the job market, which emphasizes the necessity of strong integration strategies. These are government initiatives related to housing and education.
Through a deterrence approach, Germany hopes to lower the number of new arrivals; however, any adjustments to migration policy necessitate collaboration with European neighbors, especially when it comes to the distribution of asylum seekers.
