German Politicians Call for Tougher Stance on Migration Policy Ahead of Federal-State Meetings
Berlin: Ahead of two top meetings between the federal government and the states on migration policy, several politicians are calling for a tougher stance on the issue. 'People expect us to find solutions,' said Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) to Handelsblatt. He pointed to the European elections where the AfD received the most votes in eastern Germany. 'The populists are abusing the migration issue to deliberately fuel fears,' said Maier. 'That is why it is all the more important for us to implement legally appropriate procedures now to dispel the issue.' Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU) criticized migration policy as unstructured. 'We need to return to a manageable integration policy,' he said on ARD's Morgenmagazin. Schleswig-Holstein's Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to advocate more strongly for limiting migration to Germany.
On Wednesday, the interior ministers from the federal and state governments will discuss the course of asylum policy. On Thursday, the prime ministers and Chancellor Scholz will follow suit. The fatal knife attack by an Afghan in Mannheim, in which a policeman died, is also likely to influence the meetings. Various measures are already circulating that are now to be pushed forward. Here are the key points: 1. Implementing legally appropriate procedures in response to migration issues 2. Returning to a structured and manageable integration policy 3. Advocating for stronger limitations on migration to Germany
The discussions are expected to be heated as various viewpoints clash regarding the best path forward in handling migration policy in Germany.
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