The head of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), Christian Lindner, announced that his party will not only support the Union’s proposals on Wednesday, but also the bill on limiting the influx of asylum seekers on Friday. Lindner criticized the Greens and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) for their refusal to support the Union’s plans for migration control. He accused the Greens of adopting an attitude that is similar to the Alternative for Germany (AfD), saying that they have become the “stepping stone” for the AfD by being too welcoming of family reunification.
In an interview with the news channel “Welt” on Tuesday, Lindner expressed regret that there is no consensus with the SPD and the Greens. “The Greens want to expand family reunification, as stated in their election program. You can’t say it any other way: The Greens are the stepping stone and now, for the AfD” he said.
Lindner believes that the security concerns of the majority of the population are not being represented by the SPD and the Greens. “They are speaking and ruling completely at the expense of the majority of the population. Germans are a welcoming nation and Germany must remain a liberal country. But we need control of access to Germany. People must feel safe in Germany. And, quite obviously, the SPD and the Greens are lacking that sense.”
Drawing from his experience in the grand coalition government, Lindner said, “All the measures we agreed upon were so often watered down and delayed by the left wings of the SPD and the Greens and that is something our country cannot afford anymore. People are expecting a clear signal now.”
Lindner made it clear that he would have liked to see more migration control from the Union, such as linking development aid for Afghanistan to return agreements or a new Turkey agreement. However, “the Union won’t take that up and that’s their right. We will now assess the proposal as it is and it is acceptable, just like the bill on Friday.” This means that the FDP will also support the bill on limiting the influx of asylum seekers.