Horst Seehofer has hardly made any political statements since retiring from politics after the 2021 election. But now the ex-CSU boss has spoken out: with words of praise for his Social Democratic successor in the Ministry of the Interior, Nancy Faeser.
Is Faeser happy about that? In any case, many of their left-wing comrades will not be. Because the Interior Minister is striving to decide on as many asylum procedures as possible at the borders with the EU. The consequence: Rejected asylum seekers could be deported directly to their home country. That would be a clear break with the previous SPD line.
Rare praise from the predecessor with a different party book
And what does Seehofer, who had always fought the policy of wide-open borders under Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), say about this? “I welcome this step and wish Mrs. Faeser the best of luck,” he told the “Spiegel”. Praise from the predecessor with a different party book, that rarely happens.
Seehofer knows what he’s talking about. He had pursued similar plans during his term of office, but had not been accepted by the EU countries. The SPD, the CDU/CSU coalition partner at the time, was also very skeptical. Whether the chances for joint action are better today remains to be seen.
In any case, Faeser is showing a certain toughness, not least for domestic political reasons. Communities are groaning under the strains associated with rising refugee numbers, and countries are groaning at the associated costs. In addition, the number of refugees is driving up the AfD’s poll numbers.
New refugee crisis worries many citizens
Last but not least, everyone involved is aware of how difficult it is to deport refugees who have no right to asylum. The people who come to Europe know that too. They are drawn to Germany because they can expect much higher social benefits here than in other EU countries. And once they’re here, they can usually stay. Word has gotten around, among the criminal traffickers as well as among their “customers”.
In other EU countries, people are by no means unhappy about the current practice, which has led to a particularly strong influx into Germany. A controlled external border would mean that people with a right to asylum would then have to be distributed to all member states. From the point of view of many countries it is better if these refugees continue to strive for Germany. It doesn’t matter whether they are politically persecuted, war refugees or people who “only” care about a better life.
The new refugee crisis is worrying many citizens. In contrast to the wave of refugees in 2015/2016, public coffers are largely empty. This also drives social democratic and green local politicians to the barricades, who in Merkel’s time still clung to the “we can do it” theory. Now the calls for help from the overwhelmed municipalities are increasing, along with the corresponding allegations against the traffic light coalition in Berlin.
Election tactical manoeuvre
The Minister of the Interior is aware of all this. The fact that she is now flying the flag may also have something to do with her political ambitions. Faeser wants to replace CDU man Boris Rhein as prime minister in Hesse in October. As Federal Minister of the Interior, she cannot shirk when it comes to refugees.
The Social Democrats in Hesse are just as weak as in the federal government. With 20 percent in the polls, they are fighting for second place with the Greens, while the CDU now has 30 percent. And since Faeser was proclaimed the top candidate in February, the SPD has not even grown.
Fass, who does not belong to the left within the SPD, had already expressed the opinion in March that “high fences and walls” are “partly” part of the European asylum policy. Walls and fences at the external borders? The SPD had always rejected this in Seehofer’s day and branded it as inhumane. The Greens have also been strictly against it so far.
Faeser would feel the effects of empty announcements
Faeser received indirect support from the coalition partner FDP. Its chairman, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner, has now pleaded in an RTL program to consider the “physical protection of the external borders”. physical protection? The FDP leader understands this to mean “fences” – just like his cabinet colleague Faeser.
On the same page as Lindner – that won’t be of much use to Faeser. In the traffic light coalition, she must also get the SPD and the Greens, who are pleading against almost all restrictions on the refugee issue, on her side. If she could then persuade the entire EU to protect the external borders in such a way that the word protection lives up to its meaning, then she would have deserved a lot of praise – not only from her predecessor.
Of course, Faeser takes a risk. It is one thing to stand out as a determined fighter against the uncontrolled influx of “asylum seekers” who have no prospect of asylum, but to enforce it is another. If the controls at the external borders, if fences and walls remain just empty announcements, Faeser would feel it – among the population and not least among the Hessian voters.
