Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has criticized the new German government's decision to turn back irregular migrants at the border, even if they are refugees, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
“When someone says “protection“ here at the German border, a whole procedure must first be carried out – it may even happen at the border itself, but the procedure must be carried out“, Merkel said in an excerpt from a documentary broadcast today on German television “ARD“ (ARD).
“That's how I understand European law“, added Merkel, who was head of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), currently led by by Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Merkel met with former refugees for the filming of a documentary about the 10th anniversary of her fateful decision to keep Germany's borders open during the 2015 migrant crisis. That decision led to the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants, many of them Syrians, in Germany.
While many have settled in the country, making a significant contribution to the economy and gaining German citizenship, Merkel's decision has drawn strong opposition, led by the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which has won support with an anti-immigrant platform.
Successive administrations have sought to limit the number of migrants reaching Germany, and Merz's government has imposed strict regulations since taking office last month, including a controversial policy to return asylum seekers.
Although a Berlin court ruled against the measure earlier This month, in the case of three Somalis who were denied entry to the country despite having applied for asylum, Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrin said the court ruling was an individual case and that the policy would remain in place.
Torsten Frei, who heads Chancellor Merz's office, rejected Merkel's criticism.
"If someone has already been granted refugee status somewhere in Europe, if someone has come through safe countries in Europe, then we are not dealing with someone who is fleeing, but with someone who comes from safe countries," he told ARD today.
Frei defended Merkel's now-famous 2015 "We can handle it" statement about the migrant crisis, but said that "times have changed." changed“.
“When a head of government says: “We can do it“, that is the right attitude. Because that is what you can expect from a government - not to bury its head in the sand, but to deal with the challenges“, he said.
“But times have changed, of course“, added Frei. “In 2019, when Angela Merkel was still in power, we adopted a serious package of measures on migration, which also included a law to improve repatriation. So it is absolutely clear that we need to do more to organize, control and above all limit migration“, he said.
For a long time, Merkel has had a frosty relationship with Merz, who became the first CDU chancellor since Merkel's 16-year rule ended. The two were opponents for the CDU leadership at the turn of the century, before Merkel won and sent Merz into political isolation.
She was particularly critical of Merz's decision to pass a motion in parliament with the votes of the “AfG“ earlier this year.
In the excerpt from the documentary shown today, Merkel said she had sought to avoid having her migration policy determined by the “AfG“. “I can't always just talk about the “AfG“ and accept their agenda. I also have to accept the agenda of all those who say: “Yes, we have to reduce the number of illegal immigrants, but we also have to continue to stand up for our values,” she said.