Migration: Kretschmer calls for cross-party solution

Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer has called for a cross-party solution to the problems of the federal states and municipalities on the subject of migration, but has expressed skepticism about the proposals of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's (SPD) "traffic light" coalition. "The horizon of expectations, including on the part of the federal government, is so broad that people must not be disappointed now," warned Kretschmer, who is also a CDU federal deputy, on Monday before consultations of his party's top committees in Berlin.

At the same time, the Minister President conceded that "what is currently being prepared by the government is in no way suitable for limiting the influx to Germany".

Kretschmer also called for a discussion about amending Article 16 of the Basic Law on asylum. "When the Basic Law was created with this truly general right to asylum, we were in a completely different time. Today, millions upon millions of people are fleeing and we have to make ourselves strong," he added. "We have to adapt the law so that we decide who comes to Germany and who stays here." In the current situation, "we should not exclude things from the outset or formulate red lines or conditions that are absolutely necessary".

The aim is to create an asylum compromise and to include the FDP, SPD, Greens, CDU, CSU "and perhaps also the Left", said Kretschmer. He called on Chancellor Scholz, in view of the dispute in the traffic light coalition, to free himself "from this party tactical pettiness". The offer to form a commission across party and social groups, which would be given the task of finding ways to manage migration and set rules on who is allowed to come to Germany, was on the table.

Scholz will meet with the heads of government of the 16 federal states in the Chancellery this afternoon to discuss the costs of housing and caring for refugees as well as curbing irregular migration.