Next German government agrees to radical toughening of migration policy

 

Next German government agrees to radical toughening of migration policy

 

Center left and center right are trying to forge a deal to form a coalition. Important differences remain, according to documents seen by POLITICO.

 

March 25, 2025 7:52 pm CET

By Nette Nöstlinger, Jürgen Klöckner and Chris Lunday

https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-government-deal-migration-policy-cdu-friedrich-merz-spd/

 

BERLIN ― The two parties expected to form Germany’s next government have agreed to a much stricter approach to migration in the wake of the far right’s best showing at a national election since World War II, according to a draft of the negotiating text seen by POLITICO.

 

The center-right Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) of incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) approved a raft of policies that would form the cornerstone of the likely government’s policies over the next four years.

 

They include a huge increase in the capacity for detaining migrants pending deportation, the suspension of family reunification for migrants for two years, the expansion of the list of safe countries that migrants can be sent back to to include Algeria, India, Morocco, and Tunisia, the introduction of rules to deport migrants who face prison sentences and the abolishment of mandatory legal assistance before repatriation.

 

The agreement would represent Germany’s strictest migration policies in decades. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) came second in the election on Feb. 23 and is likely to become a rowdy opposition voice in the forthcoming parliament.

 

Some aspects of migration policy are not agreed, however. So far, the SPD is rejecting CDU demands to set up asylum processing and return centers in other countries.

 

Away from migration, the two parties haven’t yet agreed on defense spending. The CDU is pushing to radically increase German investment to 3.5 percent target — far above NATO’s 2 percent target — which would move Germany up the ranks of global military powers, with major implications for European defense. While the SPD says it recognizes the need to strengthen the country’s armed forces, it doesn’t want to go that far.

 

As U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to weaken America’s protection of Europe, Merz’s party is also pressing for the reintroduction of compulsory of military service. At this stage, the Social Democrats want to keep it voluntary. Germany got rid of compulsory military service for men in 2011.

 

The drafts come from cross-party working groups tackling policy areas. The groups were asked to submit their drafts on Monday, after which the respective leadership teams would enter final negotiations to stitch together a unified coalition agreement. Both sides previously publicly said they aim to conclude talks by Easter, but have since become less ambitious, saying content is more important than speed.