Media reports Germany to announce immigration emergency

(MENAFN) Germany's newly elected Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to declare a national emergency to address the country's migration challenges, according to reports from Die Welt. On his first day in office, Merz announced that his government would begin turning back illegal migrants at the border. Germany continues to be the leading destination for asylum seekers in the European Union, receiving a quarter of all asylum applications across the 27-member bloc last year, totaling more than 237,000 applicants.

The German government has already notified the ambassadors of neighboring countries about the decision to declare a national emergency, which would allow Germany to prioritize its decisions over EU regulations.

To implement this move, Germany plans to invoke Article 72 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which allows member states to safeguard internal security and law and order. Germany shares a 3,700km land border with nine countries, including Poland, Austria, France, and the Netherlands, all part of the EU’s Schengen area, which enables passport-free travel for most EU citizens and many non-EU nationals.

On Wednesday, Germany's newly appointed Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, stated that border controls would be stricter, leading to a higher rejection rate of asylum applications. He emphasized that this change in policy would send a clear message to both Europe and the world about Germany's new stance on migration.

Additionally, in a letter obtained by Bild, Dobrindt instructed the Federal Police to disregard a 2015 directive from former Chancellor Angela Merkel, which allowed over a million migrants into Germany during the 2015-16 refugee crisis.

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