Merkel rolls out alternative migrants plan to solve crisis
In a bid to solve the ongoing European refugee crisis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday said the European Union needed to establish migrant deals with African countries such as Egypt and Tunisia along the lines of the agreement it already has with Turkey.
She also said more must be spent on development aid to deal with the root causes of migration, adding that it was critical "to prevent a repeat of the situation seen last summer". The arrival then of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond marked Europe's biggest migrant crisis since World War Two. "It is important that we give the African countries perspectives for the future," Merkel said during a conference on tourism. "We either have to let people come to us, or we have to combat the root causes of migration so that people see prospects for staying there, close to their homes."
Her statement comes after disastrous election results for her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. After two electoral beatings at the hands of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), German Chancellor had expressed regrets over her pro-immigration policy to mend relations with her allies.
The EU and Turkey agreed in March that Ankara would stem the flow of illegal migrants to Europe in exchange for financial aid and the promise of visa-free travel. In June, Merkel described Africa with its population of 1.2 billion people as "the central problem" in the migration issue.
After historic losses in the Berlin election, Merkel's relationship with her conservative Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), has severely deteriorated. Merkel's Christian Democratic Union's (CDU) poor showing in recent regional elections led her Bavarian ally to put heavy pressure on her to change course on her liberal refugee policy. Germany introduced border controls on Sept. 13, 2015 to stem the daily flow of thousands of refugees. The controls have been extended several times since then, most recently in May, for another six months. The CSU wants to cap arrivals at 200,000 per year but Merkel has so far refused that.
She also said more must be spent on development aid to deal with the root causes of migration, adding that it was critical "to prevent a repeat of the situation seen last summer". The arrival then of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond marked Europe's biggest migrant crisis since World War Two. "It is important that we give the African countries perspectives for the future," Merkel said during a conference on tourism. "We either have to let people come to us, or we have to combat the root causes of migration so that people see prospects for staying there, close to their homes."
Her statement comes after disastrous election results for her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. After two electoral beatings at the hands of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), German Chancellor had expressed regrets over her pro-immigration policy to mend relations with her allies.
The EU and Turkey agreed in March that Ankara would stem the flow of illegal migrants to Europe in exchange for financial aid and the promise of visa-free travel. In June, Merkel described Africa with its population of 1.2 billion people as "the central problem" in the migration issue.
After historic losses in the Berlin election, Merkel's relationship with her conservative Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), has severely deteriorated. Merkel's Christian Democratic Union's (CDU) poor showing in recent regional elections led her Bavarian ally to put heavy pressure on her to change course on her liberal refugee policy. Germany introduced border controls on Sept. 13, 2015 to stem the daily flow of thousands of refugees. The controls have been extended several times since then, most recently in May, for another six months. The CSU wants to cap arrivals at 200,000 per year but Merkel has so far refused that.