Angela Merkel stands by refugees decision despite polls

Mr Seehofer this weekend stood by his comments, saying that unless limits were put on immigration, the system could “collapse before the winter”

“The chancellor bears a great responsibility and must show leadership,” he said. “That includes stating clearly that with a million refugees this year, our reception possibilities are close to being exhausted.”

Angela Merkel stands by refugees decision despite polls

Stefan Wagstyl in Berlin

October 4, 2015 5:14 pm

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Angela Merkel has defended her decision to make Germany a haven for refugees, despite sliding public support and mounting criticism of the policy from within her ruling coalition.

Speaking as Germany marked the 25th anniversary of reunification, the chancellor on Sunday urged people to apply the same energy to the unprecedented migrant wave as was shown in bringing together West and East Germany.

“We stand before new tasks . . . the scale and scope of which we do not yet know,” Ms Merkel said in a radio interview. She insisted that if she had to review the move she took a month ago to relax asylum rules for refugees from war-ravaged Syria, the biggest source of migrants, she would take the same decision again.

Her comments come as opinion polls reveal a sharp drop in support for Ms Merkel’s leadership. A survey for ARD television last week showed that the share of Germans satisfied with her work plunged 9 percentage points in a month to 54 per cent — the lowest level since December 2001.

Meanwhile, Horst Seehofer, head of the conservative Bavarian CSU party, partner to Ms Merkel’s CDU, who has called the chancellor’s refugee policy a “mistake”, saw his support rise 11 points to 39 per cent.

With about 10,000 migrants entering Germany each day, hard-pressed local authorities are under mounting pressure over provision of basic services and emergency accommodation. Some cities have begun commandeering private properties to house refugees.

While Berlin has stood by its forecast of 800,000 refugees arriving this year — four times more than in 2014 — politicians talk openly of a figure closer to 1m. One regional leader has predicted that Germany could take up to 1.5m refugees this year.

Mr Seehofer this weekend stood by his comments, saying that unless limits were put on immigration, the system could “collapse before the winter”.

Criticisms have also come from within Ms Merkel’s CDU party and from the social democrats, her coalition allies. Lorenz Caffier, CDU chief minister of the Mecklenburg Vorpommern region, said in a Sunday newspaper interview that “several regions are today already at their limit”.

Thomas Oppermann, SPD parliamentary chief, pointed the finger directly at Ms Merkel. “The chancellor bears a great responsibility and must show leadership,” he said. “That includes stating clearly that with a million refugees this year, our reception possibilities are close to being exhausted.”

However, Ms Merkel won support from Joachim Gauck, German president, who said the country should take courage from the experiences of 25 years ago because, then as now, there were no precedents to follow.

In her radio interview, Ms Merkel said Germany’s welcome policy went hand-in-hand with the rapid turnround of failed asylum seekers, the strengthening of the EU’s external borders, co-operation with Turkey and other Middle East countries, and helping to improve the situation in Syria and other states from which refugees come.

Referring to the arguments over the policy within her own party, she said: “I believe there are many questions and points of discussion. And that is why it is very important that I speak with the MPs . . . There is a very special situation in many local communities.”