Germany: Merz pushes for tougher border policies after election win

The center-right CDU/CSU alliance won 28.5 percent of the vote, with a campaign focused on tackling irregular migration and deportations.

The leader of the CDU/CSU bloc, Friedrich Merz, emphasized his hardline stance on migration, including strict border controls to prevent asylum seekers from entering Germany. His position comes ahead of expected coalition talks with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), as he is widely anticipated to become Germany’s next chancellor.

He argued that such strict border policies would be “legal” under EU law if implemented temporarily — a claim hotly debated by legal experts. All nine of Germany’s neighboring countries are part of the Schengen visa-free zone, including non-EU member Switzerland.

However, Germany has enforced border controls with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark since September 16, 2024 for a six-month period. Additional temporary checks were introduced on October 16, 2023, at the borders with the Czech Republic, Poland, and Switzerland. Controls at the Austrian border have been in place since 2015.

“None of us want to close the borders,” he told reporters. “But we need to protect our borders better. We must regain control over those who come into our country.”

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Election results: A shift in German politics

Although Merz’s mainstream conservatives won the most seats in the Bundestag, the election was a setback for traditional parties as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won over 20 percent of the vote, the strongest result for a far-right party since World War II.

Election Results Overview

• CDU/CSU (center right): 208 seats
• AfD (far-right): 152 seats
• SPD (center left): 120 seats
• Greens: 85 seats
• FDP – Free Democrats (liberal): Below the 5 percent threshold
• The Left Party: 64 seats
• BSW – Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance: Just below 5 percent

However, Germany’s mainstream parties maintain a “firewall” against the AfD, refusing to work with them. The domestic intelligence agency continues to monitor AfD for suspected right-wing extremism, a designation the party strongly rejects.

Despite this, Merz previously signaled a willingness to break the “firewall” when he announced plans to introduce stricter border controls, even if it meant passing legislation with AfD support. While he later tried to shift blame onto the SPD and Greens, his remarks sparked concerns that his party could erode the long-standing political consensus against working with the far right.

Merz ruled out any coalition with AfD and voiced concern over its gains. “We must solve Germany’s problems to remove the breeding ground for this party,” he said.

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Migration remains a key focus

Migration remains a key issue for Merz, who expressed hope that EU leaders could agree on a “common-sense solution” for asylum policy by 2026 while emphasizing that immediate action is necessary. “We can’t wait until then. We urgently need to do something,” he said.

He had previously proposed a five-point plan to curb irregular migration and increase border controls, following a fatal knife attack in Aschaffenburg by an Afghan national set for deportation last year.

However, his proposals face significant legal challenges under EU law, which only permits border checks in response to a “serious threat to public order or internal security” and considers them a “last resort.” His plan includes a “de facto entry ban” for undocumented individuals, including asylum seekers.

Under the Dublin III Regulation, asylum seekers must have their cases processed in the first EU country they enter, meaning those arriving in Germany via another member state should, in principle, be returned to their first point of entry. However, they must first be admitted before authorities can assess whether a transfer is required.

Blocking entry would likely not only violate EU law, but also strain relations with neighboring countries, such as Austria, which has already refused to “take back” rejected asylum seekers. Merz has also suggested invoking Article 72 of the EU Treaty, allowing border closures in a national emergency, but proving such an emergency would be difficult given that existing border controls have already reduced irregular migration.

His plan has also faced pushback from German police forces, who have warned that permanent border controls would require thousands of additional officers, along with modern surveillance technology such as drones and license plate scanners — resources that Germany currently lacks.

The former SPD-led government argued that enforcing current deportation policies is more effective than additional restrictions. However, if Merz pushes ahead despite legal hurdles, it could encourage other countries to challenge current EU asylum regulations, potentially leading to broader reforms to the system.

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Germany’s political future

Merz aims to establish a government by Easter, while outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz will serve as a caretaker until the new government is in place.

Merz also expressed confidence that the SPD could be convinced “to take a common path,” though the party previously raised legal concerns over banning irregular entries, including asylum seekers.

In the run-up to the elections, the center-left SPD had been calling for more deportations and tougher migration policies that would be “carried out humanely and consistently,” but strongly criticized Merz’s willingness to work with AfD to pass stricter border controls.

While the election focused primarily on migration, other key issues appeared to take a back seat — including economic stagnation, rising energy prices, and weak productivity growth. Two years into a recession, with GDP stagnating at 2019 levels, partly due to tight fiscal policies and a slowdown in foreign demand, political rhetoric centered on deportation rather than addressing the skills shortage or workable economic solutions.

The labor market faces a lack of skilled workers, worsened by demographic shifts and changing work preferences, while productivity growth lags behind other countries due to outdated infrastructure, surging energy prices, low investment, and limited innovation.

A continued focus on migration and deportations is unlikely to act as a solution to Germany’s pressing economic woes.

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With dpa and AP.