Dobrindt sets conditions for talks on migration
CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt has attached conditions to new talks between the CDU/CSU and the German government on a joint migration pact. "The ball is in the Chancellor's court. He makes the decision on further invitations to talks from the opposition," Dobrindt told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper (Saturday) with a view to head of government Olaf Scholz (SPD). "However, he must recognize the seriousness and urgency of the situation. I am not sure whether that is the case," said Dobrindt.
"We are still willing to work on the current migration crisis together with the Federal Chancellor," he said. However, the decisions must lead to a genuine turnaround in asylum policy. On Tuesday, Friedrich Merz (CDU), head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, accused Scholz of a lack of willingness to cooperate with the opposition. "At the moment, I see no willingness on the part of the Federal Chancellor to substantially continue the talks with us," he said.
Purely testing orders "cannot be done with us"
The German government had stated that it wanted to examine asylum procedures outside of Europe. Dobrindt commented: "We cannot agree to mere requests for testing, such as the one on third-country solutions in the resolution with the minister presidents." Illegal migration can only be stopped in the long term if the smuggling systems are broken. "If asylum procedures and the granting of protection take place outside of Europe, migrants will simply no longer reach our social systems," said Dobrindt. "This destroys the logic of the smuggling business because it no longer makes sense to pay thousands of euros for a criminal smuggling operation."
If the migration issue is not resolved, we will see the AfD become the strongest party in next year's European elections, said Dobrindt. "Destabilization and emotionalization in society will continue to increase. This reveals the most problematic forecasts for the state elections in the east, and the question arises as to when a tipping point has been reached for German politics that can no longer be reversed," said the CSU politician. State elections will be held in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg in 2024.
Chancellor Scholz and the heads of government of the 16 federal states reached an agreement on Tuesday night after months of dispute over the distribution of refugee costs and agreed on measures to reduce irregular migration to Germany.
Dobrindt expressed concerns about the Chancellor's approach to migrant situations, stating, "I'm not sure whether the Chancellor recognizes the seriousness and urgency of the situation regarding migration. We need a genuine turnaround in asylum policy." Later, he mentioned the potential for outside asylum procedures, adding, "If asylum procedures and the granting of protection take place outside of Europe, migrants will no longer reach our social systems, breaking the logic of the smuggling business."
Source: www.dpa.com
