Merz Chatter

 One of the top ten discussion topics for the national election in September here in Germany...is the continued question 'what is the German plan for immigration, asylum and refugees'.

Presently (since 2013), the Merkel crafted answer is....'we are waiting for the EU to develop the master-plan'.  

You can safely say from 2013 to early 2016....Germany had a 'no-plan/no-concept' situation for asylum seekers or refugees.  If you'd attempted to engage a government answer....there was none.  If you'd asked prior to 2013, there was a scripted answer and it generally meant pulling up the BamF mission-plan and explaining how you applied for asylum, and that things were written down in the process.

So this past week, if you'd viewed ARD (Channel One, public TV).....the chief candidate for the CDU Chancellor position (actually one of three heading that way)....made a fairly straight comment on asylum and refugees.

Friedrich Merz said that admission of refugees via Greece or Italy won't happen (period) until the EU draws up a plan.

The jest of this?  He knows that the EU can never reach a consensus.  So if he's elected and if he can bend the coalition on his goal....the refugee path into Germany is going be extremely hard.  

My humble guess is that if the Greens are his political partner in the coalition....to get him off this debate....they will have to hand Merz the Foreign Minister position and perhaps even a second major Minister position....to reach some middle ground. 

I read through the whole ARD piece, and Merz even indicates that a person-to-person review has to also be part of the EU plan....meaning that bulk admission would totally end, and those with fake passports or no-passports....would be stalled in the 'do-not-enter' situation.

Then Merz added....the EU has to also include a plan for deportation situations.....meaning if you failed their review, you didn't go any further.

Merz even said....the EU has to have deals or agreements with the countries of the affected region....that they'd have to take people back. 

The odds of the EU being able to accomplish any of this business?  I'd give it a 10-percent chance at best.

In 2014/2015....Merz would have had zero chance of winning the Chancellorship.  Today?  An entirely different landscape, and voters with differing views.  On the one side....asylum and immigration is not a number one topic now....but it still probably resides in the top five issues of Germany today.