EUROPE-MIGRANTS/GERMANY CRITICISM Merkel's green light to migrants splits Germany's ruling conservatives

Record ID: 141795

  • Title: EUROPE-MIGRANTS/GERMANY CRITICISM Merkel's green light to migrants splits Germany's ruling conservatives
  • Date: 6th September 2015
  • Summary: MUNICH, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 6, 2015) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** EXTERIOR VENUE BAVARIAN PREMIER HORST SEEHOFER ARRIVING PICTURES OF FORMER CSU HEAD AND BAVARIAN PREMIER FRANZ JOSEF STRAUSS AND PAN TO AUDIENCE MEMBERS OF AUDIENCE SEEHOFER SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (German) BAVARIAN PREMIER HORST SEEHOFER, SAYING: "Well, the (German) chancellor told (Hungarian) prime minister Orban: 'Stick to the European rules!" - the experts say Dublin, the real experts say - I think - Dublin II. And at the end of the week, on Friday around midnight, the German government itself lifted the regulations. And now you will understand why I personally as well as our general-secretary, have some questions. Which one is it now?" MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (German) BAVARIAN PREMIER HORST SEEHOFER, SAYING: "Germany cannot - and we must speak about that tonight - take in almost all of the migrant rom all over the world when the European Union has 28 member states. No society can endure that for long. We do want to help but we also need some justice." AUDIENCE APPLAUDING (SOUNDBITE) (German) BAVARIAN PREMIER HORST SEEHOFER, SAYING: "Dear friends, the German government needs a plan. As simple as that: it needs a plan. I sat in church next to the mayor and he told me - after we briefly spoke about the occasion (commemorative service of occasion of 100th birthday of Franz Joseph Strauss) - the councils cannot do this any longer. With all the helpfulness of the councils and the population, it cannot last forever. And this worry we want to express tonight (at the talks)." AUDIENCE SEEHOFER SPEAKING AND PAN TO AUDIENCE
  • Embargoed: 21st September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVACUNFLSETU1OH7VLG7YAHHJDNA
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Bavarian Premier Horst Seehofer has criticized on Sunday (September 6) Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to allow thousands of migrants stranded in Hungary to enter Germany and accused her of giving "a totally wrong signal" to Europe.
    "Well, the (German) chancellor told (Hungarian) prime minister Orban: 'Stick to the European rules!"," the head of the conservative CSU (Christian Social Union), the regional sister party of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), party told the audience at at ceremony on occasion of the 100th birthday of former CSU head and Bavarian Premier Franz Josef Strauss.
    "And at the end of the week, on Friday around midnight, the German government itself lifted the regulations. And now you will understand why I personally as well as our general-secretary, have some questions. Which one is it now?" he said.
    Merkel and Hungarian President Viktor Orban had agreed by telephone that the decision to let refugees - many from Syria's civil war - cross the borders was a temporary one made for humanitarian reasons, a German government spokesman said.
    The dispute broke out after Austria and Germany threw open their borders to thousands of exhausted migrants bussed to Hungary's border by a right-wing government overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and loath to take them in.
    Germany expects a record influx of 800,000 migrants this year, by far the most in the European Union. More than 100,000 asylum seekers were registered in August alone. Europe's biggest and richest economy draws many migrants, who often have relatives already living there.
    Seehofer called on the EU member states also to help with the migrant influx into Europe.
    "Germany cannot ... take in almost all of the migrant rom all over the world when the European Union has 28 member states. No society can endure that for long. We do want to help but we also need some justice," Seehofer said and added that this will be one of the issues to be discussed later on Sunday in Berlin.
    A public opinion poll last week showed Merkel's popularity has dropped over her handling of the refugee crisis, but most Germans are not worried about the influx.
    Merkel's coalition was expected to agree a series of measures later on Sunday including cutting red tape to facilitate the construction of asylum shelters, increasing funds for federal states and towns and speeding up asylum procedures.
    The agenda will include widening the list of states deemed "safe" - meaning their citizens have no claim to asylum - probably to include Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro. Among those already deemed safe are Serbia, Macedonia and Bosnia.
    With that, Berlin wants to speed up asylum and extradition procedures for migrants mainly from southeastern Europe to focus on war refugees from states like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register