The SPD’s parliamentary group chair, Rolf Mützenich, accuses the Union’s chancellor candidate, Friedrich Merz, of violating agreements in the Bundestag regarding asylum policy hardening. “We had agreed after the end of the grand coalition that no majorities would be sought with the help of the AfD. Now, it seems to be of no concern to him again”Mützenich told the Süddeutsche Zeitung (Tuesday edition).
“This is once again a proof that Mr. Merz acts impulsively and then aimlessly. He tears up good approaches immediately”Mützenich said, calling on Merz to use the government’s draft bills presented this week to achieve a majority in the German Bundestag that would bring immediate improvements, rather than seeking majorities with the help of the AfD.
The specific issue is the reform of the Common European Asylum System (GEAS) – the SPD and the Greens need the Union’s support for a majority. The plan includes, among other things, that a significant part of asylum applications would be decided at the EU’s external borders. In Germany, the procedures could be handled directly at the airports and centers could be established there.
A security package with more powers for the BKA and a reform package for the Federal Police with an expansion of competences could, according to Mützenich, still be passed in the Bundestag this week – but the Union’s proposals do not go far enough. “Our goal remains to shape a European asylum and refugee policy into national law. This would enable us to set a clear sign this week and I urge all democratic factions to take a conforming path to the European law”Mützenich said.
The Union could also expand the Bundespolizei’s competences “with us”and pass parts of the security laws blocked by the Union in the Bundesrat. Mr. Merz could now decide to support these laws, “and thus, in fact, improve our security – or he decides against it”Mützenich warned, stating that the CDU and Friedrich Merz would otherwise “open the gates to the AfD”if they continued on this path.
The parliamentary group’s chief of staff for the Greens, Irene Mihalic, also urges the Union to give up its blockade in the migration debate regarding the GEAS and the security package. “We need targeted measures that bring real security”Mihalic told the T-Online news portal. “Such measures are contained in the security package presented by the government in the autumn, which has been blocked by the Union in the Bundesrat in part. The Union should finally give up its blockade.”
The CDU’s five-point plan by chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz was rejected again. “We are also convinced that the declaration of a state of emergency, as proposed by Friedrich Merz, would destroy Europe”Mihalic said.
The challenges could only be solved with the European partners. “After years of negotiations, a very important agreement has been reached at the European level with GEAS. The national implementation of important elements has been decided by the government in the autumn – and the Union has so far not wanted to bring them together with the SPD and the Greens into the Bundestag. We urge Friedrich Merz to reconsider this stance”Mihalic said.
Mihalic also stated that measures for better handling of threats were needed. Non-German perpetrators who planned attacks had lost all claim to stay in Germany. “The people in the country rightly expect the authorities to make every effort to deport these criminal offenders and threats”Mihalic said.