Merz calls for realism, renewal in Germany’s migration approach
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has openly acknowledged the failure of former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s migration policy, which led to a migration crisis affecting both Germany and wider Europe.
In response to a journalist's question regarding Chancellor Merkel's 2015 Bundestag declaration—“We can do this,” in reference to the integration of refugees—Merz stated, “Ten years later, it is evident that we have clearly failed to achieve what was envisioned at that time,” Caliber.Az reports per German newspaper.
Despite this, Merz stressed his support for immigration of highly skilled workers to the German labour market.
“Germany is a country of immigration. We have actually been one for decades, perhaps even more than 100 years,” he added.
“Ten years on, we know that we’ve clearly not managed what she referred to back then,” he said, arguing that integration had largely failed. Merz pointed to statistical evidence to back his claim and criticised what he described as the long-term shortcomings of past migration policies.
By Aghakazim Guliyev