The probably future Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants to push the number of new asylum seekers in Germany under 100,000 a year. “Our idea is that we are now really significantly reducing these numbers,” said the CDU chairman in the ARD program “Caren Miosga”. «This should no longer be a six -figure number. The overwhelming of cities, municipalities, schools, hospitals, our infrastructure has been achieved. »
For this reason, the new government will also suspend a return offensive and family reunification, as in the coalition agreement. Merz also confirmed his goal of enforcing the rejection of asylum seekers at the borders. “That will happen,” he said. The coordination with the neighboring countries agreed in the coalition agreement is already underway. He is expecting willingness to cooperate. “I assume that the Austrian government is just as interested in solving the problem like we do.”
Last year, 229,751 people made an asylum application for the first time in Germany. That was around 100,000 asylum applications less than in the previous year. Merz had already said in an interview in mid -March at the beginning of the coalition negotiations that he considered the inclusion of a maximum of 100,000 refugees to be manageable per year. SPD boss Lars Klingbeil then accused the Union populism.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 250413-930-437489/1
