KShortly before the so-called municipal summit of the Union faction on the refugee crisis, faction leader Friedrich Merz accused Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) of inaction on the subject. “As the opposition, we are doing what Chancellor Olaf Scholz should actually be doing: seeking dialogue with the municipalities, districts and cities. The municipalities are begging the chancellor to finally act,” Merz told the “Bild” newspaper on Thursday. This “indifference” is “negligent”. Scholz’ behavior shakes the confidence of the European partners in Germany. “Europe finally needs a common approach to asylum policy.”
This Thursday, the head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group will be discussing problems with the accommodation of migrants across all parties with mayors and district administrators. According to information from the Union faction, almost 400 local politicians have confirmed their attendance. The municipalities are demanding a long-term strategy for taking in refugees from the federal and state governments.
According to Merz, 244,000 asylum applications were made in Germany last year. In the current year there are already 30,000 immigrants to Germany every month, mostly refugees and asylum seekers. Only a small part of this comes from the Ukraine, the larger part from the Near and Middle East.
In order to meet the humanitarian responsibility towards those in need of protection, effective measures must be taken to control and limit irregular migration, the Union faction demands. After the meeting with local politicians, the federal government will be addressed in writing, “in the hope that they will finally wake up and do something about this difficult issue,” the union said.