GermanyVote on controversial German migration law foreseeable
SDA
31.1.2025 - 14:37
Robert Habeck (Alliance 90/The Greens, l), Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) listen to Friedrich Merz (r), CDU Federal Chairman and CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader in the Bundestag, as he speaks in the plenary chamber of the Bundestag. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa
Keystone
In Germany, the Bundestag is to vote today on the CDU/CSU parliamentary group's bill to tighten up migration policy.
Keystone-SDA
31.01.2025, 14:37
SDA
The FDP (Liberals) waived a motion previously announced by their parliamentary group to postpone the vote and consult further in the committees. Prior to this, there had been hours of wrangling between the parliamentary groups about how to proceed.
FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr said that he had offered the SPD and Greens that the FDP would agree to a red-green bill on migration if they supported the CDU/CSU bill in return. However, this compromise offer had been rejected. Dürr announced that the FDP would agree to the CDU/CSU bill.
Consultations in the Merz office
A top-level meeting had taken place in the office of CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz at midday - with the parliamentary group leaders of the Greens, Britta Hasselmann and Katharina Dröge, SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich and FDP leader Christian Lindner. The latter had previously stated: "If the SPD and Greens only want to refer the motion back in order to sink it in the Committee on Internal Affairs, then that makes no sense."
It was reported from a meeting of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group that the Christian Democrats wanted to put the draft to a direct vote after all. "We have to decide today", participants unanimously quoted Chancellor candidate Merz from the meeting. It is up to the Union. Merz received long applause and a standing ovation for his decision.
The FDP, the right-wing populist AfD and the BSW had signaled their support for the CDU/CSU draft in advance - but it was initially unclear how many MPs, particularly from the FDP and CDU/CSU, would actually vote in favour.
Draft with stricter regulations
The core of the draft bill is a suspension of family reunification for refugees with restricted protection status. Many Syrians in Germany belong to this group. In addition, the powers of the German Federal Police are to be extended. They should be able to ensure deportation themselves if they encounter people who are obliged to leave the country at train stations, for example. In its draft, the CDU/CSU also urges that the aim of "limiting" the influx of foreigners be reinstated in the Residence Act.
The Christian Democrats had already pushed through a motion to tighten up migration policy in the Bundestag on Wednesday with the help of the AfD, which is classified in some quarters as far-right. However, the motion was only an appeal. Since then, there has been great outrage at the approach. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets on Thursday alone - including in Berlin, Freiburg, Hanover and Munich.
Bill would have to go to the Bundesrat
The bill would also have to be approved by the Bundesrat. As no efforts have yet been made to ask the upper house to shorten the deadline, the Bundesrat would only decide in March - after the Bundestag elections scheduled for February 23. However, it is questionable whether there will be a majority for the proposal in the Bundesrat.
If the law is passed by the Bundestag and Bundesrat, the SPD may want to take it to the Federal Constitutional Court. The tightening of migration rules sought by the CDU/CSU would have to be "absolutely constitutionally examined in parts", SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch told the German Press Agency. "In this respect, we are keeping this path open in any case."