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meIn five days, the mood in the plenary hall of the Bundestag has noticeably cooled. Last Friday, MPs fought a heated debate here over the admission of people from the burned-out Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos.
MPs from the opposition, but also from the SPD, interrupted the federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU). They accused him of “inhumanity” (leftists) or the support of “blackmailers” (AfD). This Wednesday, Seehofer was again available to answer questions from MPs, but this time the debate was much quieter.
The day before, the Union and the SPD had agreed on a joint approach: Germany will host about 1,500 immigrants from the Greek islands. The Chamber was not even half full on Wednesday; only a few still voiced strong criticism.
Nonetheless, the debate was enlightening. Because it provided information on what Germany might face in similar situations in the future. Interior Minister Seehofer obviously drew his conclusions last week. Three statements by the CSU politician were particularly noteworthy.
“The debate in recent days has not made it easier”
It is one of the main points of criticism of the current agreement: the German government has decided to accept the immigrants from the Greek islands on its own. Therefore, it is deviating from its previous position of only moving forward in cooperation with various European states. This German style was also a problem in the Bundestag.
AfD MP Beatrix von Storch asked how the interior minister wanted to deal with the situation that no other state would participate in such a recording. How did you come up with the idea that a European solution could ever be found? I wanted to know.
He also sees “that the debate in recent days has not facilitated it,” Seehofer replied. However, criticism that the procedure had hindered future European solutions bounced off him.
Seehofer argued, however, that the internal German debate over Moria’s immigrants had made a European solution difficult. If people in Germany keep saying that it is the only country with morals, it will not be easy for other countries to participate. He would like to speak to Parliament about how to deal with it in the future.
Moria: pan-European solution or German solo effort?
The plight of the refugees after the fire in the Moria refugee camp is on the rise. Although Germany has decided to host 1,553 people, a decision at the EU level is still pending.
Source: WELT / Matthias Heinrich
An astonishing performance that was hardly attacked by members of the Bundestag. The measure is elegant for the interior minister: if a reform of the European asylum system, as Seehofer envisions, turns out to fail, there are already officials outside the federal government.
“The approval by the population of our immigration policy is very high”
Seehofer said this phrase after a member of the AfD criticized him. Stephan Brandner said he could not share the Germans’ pride in the federal government. How could it be that the federal government did not “hold” the people responsible for the 2015 situation?
This is “history,” Seehofer said. You have things under control. “The approval by the population of our immigration policy is extraordinarily high,” the Minister of the Interior now affirmed.
He suggested the admission of the additional 1,553 people also because the situation was “fundamentally” different from the 2015 refugee crisis. “In 2015 a border was opened.” People had been on the move in great numbers. This time there are “clear agreements with the Greek government.” Follow the ordered procedures.
The day before, after a meeting of the Union faction, he had already explained his position to the press. The now decided admission of recognized asylum seekers can also be allowed because there is currently not a large influx of migrants. The interior minister has evidently noted that the current debate does not fundamentally divide the population. Also in the Bundestag, members of parliament did not expel the interior minister.
As expected, the AfD, the Left Party and the Greens criticized the course as opposition parties. The harsh criticism from the Union parliamentary group, in which Conservative MPs had previously warned against so-called pull factors, did not materialize.
CDU / CSU MPs are also reassured that the federal government sold the campaign as a one-time event – the Camp Moria fire was an exceptional situation after all. The plan to re-receive migrants from the Greek islands was not discussed one more step.
“One thing is not possible: they say we record and the federal government pays”
The agreement that has now been reached stipulates that cities that have campaigned to host more people should receive greater consideration in the future. You want to get closer to these municipalities, Seehofer said.
He also indicated that he wanted to speak with the interior ministers of the federal states about how to establish a joint approach here. Special consideration can then be given to communities that “constantly speak of receptivity.”
However, this would not mean that the federal government would fund the additional recordings, Seehofer stressed. “One thing is not possible: they say that we are recording and the federal government pays.” There are many cities in Germany that are compromised.
