A senior official of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Carsten Linnemann, believes that turning back refugees at the border is in line with EU law and the German Constitution. He cites Article 72 of the EU’s working procedures, which allows national states to take independent initiatives and make laws when national order and security are threatened. Linnemann expects only a few dissenting voices within the European Union’s parliamentary faction, citing an overwhelming support for the course set by Friedrich Merz.
In an interview, Linnemann also rejected the notion of equating the right with right-wing radicalism. “Some want to set right equal to conservative and conservative equal to right-wing radical. I’m out of that”he said, referring to the “against the right”demonstrations. “This is democracy and we must endure it. I would only advocate for a clear distinction between us and the right-wing populists and radicals”he added, emphasizing the CDU’s Christian, social, liberal and conservative values.
Linnemann is not concerned with what the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party says, stating that if the CDU/CSU faction cannot bring its convictions to the table, democracy would be harmed. He believes that the problems should be solved from the center of the parliament, citing the example of the 1990s, when the Republikaner party was dissolved after the migration issue was addressed from the center of the parliament.