She has taken big risks in dealing with Russian Federation over the Ukraine crisis, in handling Greece’s economic woes, and, especially, in adopting an open-door policy toward the refugees fleeing the wars in Syria and Iraq.
Advertisement
Addressing the Bundestag lower house of parliament before attending a European Union summit in Brussels later on Thursday, Merkel said a joint European effort was required to tackle the influx.
On the home front, Merkel has bravely insisted “we can do it”, recalling US President Barack Obama’s campaign rallying cry of “Yes we can”.
SPD lawmaker Niels Annen said Merkel’s decision to visit Turkey was right and may bring closer cooperation with Turkey on issues of common interest.
The CDU has seen the defection of a number of thousand members, whereas often rock-strong approval scores for Merkel and her party are slipping.
The rebellion in the CDU against Merkel’s refugee policies is widening, according to the report.
Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Tuesday questioned whether all refugees should receive the same benefits as others in Germany. “But if it goes on like this, how much longer?” It’s one that the established political parties ignore at their peril.
Merkel in the meantime faces an open riot within the southern state of Bavaria, the primary gateway for migrants who arrive by way of the Balkans and Austria.
State Premier Horst Seehofer said Thursday a few 300,000 refugees had arrived since September 1 and that municipalities were struggling to cope. “The district administrators can calculate very well how many sports gyms they have left”.
Advertisement
“Without restrictions on immigration, Germany and all of Europe will collapse spectacularly”, he told an audience in Munich, repeating his claim that the government had no specific plan to deal with the crisis, and that Merkel had lost control. The details of the bill included adding the west Balkan countries of Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo to the category of safe countries so that people from those lands can be turned back and replacing monetary payments with material goods with the aim of dissuading those suspected of coming for financial gain.
