In an effort to find a compromise on migration policy, Christian Lindner, the leader of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), has refined the party’s recent offer to the democratic parties. The proposal involves temporarily suspending the family reunification for subsidiary protected individuals for a period of “several years” Lindner told the Rheinische Post.
The FDP has reiterated its mediation offer, stating that it would support laws from the previous government coalition if the Union’s sensible elements were incorporated. Specifically, the suspension of family reunification for subsidiary protected individuals is a contentious issue, with the Greens seeking to expand it rather than suspend it, according to Lindner, the former finance minister.
He believes it is up to the Greens to decide whether they are willing to reach a compromise to undermine the Alternative for Germany (AfD) or if they will instead strengthen the AfD by sticking to their course. Lindner considers a “united front of serious parties” before the federal election to be of high value. “That’s why we have made another attempt to bring the SPD and the Greens on board to pass the law together” he said.
The passage of the “Zustrombegrenzungsgesetz” (Limitation of the Influx of Asylum Seekers Act) of the Union failed in the Bundestag on Friday, despite the AfD’s approval. The SPD and the Greens rejected the law, with some members of the Union and parts of the FDP also voting against it.