Germany Merkel on migration: We have achieved so much
Ten years after her legendary statement "We can do it" regarding the acceptance of hundreds of thousands of refugees, Germany has made significant progress in the integration of migrants, according to then Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU). "This is a process. But we have achieved a lot so far. And what still needs to be done must continue to be done," said the CDU politician in an interview with journalist Ingo Zamperoni, which was conducted for an ARD documentary.
25.08.2025, 08:32
25.08.2025, 08:33
SDA
On August 31, 2015, Merkel chose these three words after it had just become known that 800,000 refugees were expected to arrive in Germany that year and that thousands of refugees were on their way from Hungary to Germany.
Her sentence was "blown up in Merkel's face"
Merkel says today: "It was clear to me that this would be something really challenging." At the same time, she was also repeatedly surprised "at how much these three words "We can do it" were also thrown around my ears". She had simply wanted to express that Germany was facing a major task. She had hoped for the people in the country.
Merkel does not believe that Germany is being overburdened by her decision. "I don't believe that. Germany is a strong country," she said. "Overall, I was convinced that Germany could cope."
The former chancellor pointed out that the alternative would have been to use force to stop the refugees from coming to Germany. "I would never have agreed to that," Merkel clarified. Looking back, however, she sometimes reproached herself for not having done more for the people on the ground back in 2012/13 - when the civil war in Syria was already underway.
AfD grew stronger, dispute within the Union
Merkel also admitted that her decision had contributed to the rise of the AfD. "This has certainly made the AfD stronger." However, that was no reason not to make a decision that she considered to be right and sensible. Her decision had also led to a dispute within the CDU/CSU, which was not helpful in tackling the major task of integration.
Linnemann not satisfied with integration
CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann drew a critical balance ten years after Merkel's statement. "Since 2015, 6.5 million people have come to us and less than half of them are in work today. I find that unsatisfactory, to say the least," Linnemann told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper. Today, the aim is to stop illegal migration into the social systems and promote regular immigration into the labor market. "That must be the policy of this government in 2025 - and it is."
