Olaf Scholz stresses Germany's need for immigrants

Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended his government's migration policy in German parliament on Wednesday and emphasized the country's need to attract skilled foreigners.

"There is no country in the world with a shrinking working population that has economic growth. That is the truth we are confronted with," Scholz said in the Bundestag. 

Scholz's comments come after Tuesday's second round of high-level German talks on migration policy in Berlin ended without agreement. The opposition Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) said it would not attend further meetings with the three-party governing coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats. 

The German chancellor sparred with the conservative opposition, calling them out for posturing in the right-wing press while failing to engage in good-faith negotiations over immigration policy changes.

"Sloganeering, not getting anything done," Scholz shouted at lawmakers from the centre-right bloc.

Scholz: Germany should be a safe haven

Scholz stressed the need to remain open to immigration in Germany while also controlling arrivals.

"We are a country that offers protection to those who are politically persecuted, who are running for their lives, who have to save their lives, and that is in our constitution and we are not putting that up for debate," said Scholz.

"Openness to the world is, therefore, necessary. But openness to the world does not mean that anyone who wants to can come. We must be able to choose who comes to Germany. I say that quite explicitly here," the chancellor added.

Far-right election success

Mainstream politicians in Germany have been scrambling on the topic of migration in recent weeks following a fatal knife attack in Solingen, with the suspected attacker coming from Syria and facing deportation ahead of the stabbing, and state election successes for the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Saxony and Thuringia.

Another state ballot is looming later this month in the eastern state of Brandenburg, and federal elections are due to take place next year.

Stricter border controls

Scholz touted that his government was seeking to achieve the "biggest turnaround in dealing with irregular migration," citing
efforts to accelerate deportations, reforms to the European Union's common asylum policy and a set of security proposals set to be presented to parliament later this week.

As of next Monday, Germany will introduce more systematic border checks on people arriving by bus, train or car from Schengen Area neighbors Belgium, France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Germany has already introduced similar controls on its borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and non-EU country Switzerland, and controls have been in place much longer at its Austrian border. Those measures have seen more than 30,000 people turned away since, according to the Interior Ministry.

Merz rejects further talks

CDU leader Friedrich Merz on Wednesday rejected offers from Scholz for further cross-party talks on migration policy, saying the policies offered by the government on Tuesday fell well short of what is needed to limit migration into the country.

"And that is why we are not entering into an endless loop of talks with you," said Merz.

jsi/sms(dpa, Reuters)

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