German election campaign: setting the course for Europe?
Last week, in the middle of the election campaign, Germany's Bundestag voted on proposals to tighten migration policy brought by the CDU/CSU opposition parliamentary group. An initial motion was supported by a fiercely debated majority achieved with the support of the AfD, which is suspected of right-wing extremism by the country's domestic intelligence agency. Another motion on specific changes to the immigration laws failed two days later. Europe's press takes a worried look.
A clear winner
The AfD benefited most from the Bundestag votes, Ukrainska Pravda observes:
“German society has been waiting for a change in migration policy for a long time. The biggest winner of the current situation therefore seems to be the AfD, which can now continue to convince voters that no one else is serious or capable of implementing the necessary changes. In addition, something that the AfD had long dreamed of has come to pass: voters have seen that the political landscape is changing and that the AfD is getting stronger. The firewall is still formally in place, but it has wobbled and the AfD believes that more and more cracks will open up over time, until it finally collapses.”
Dangerous shift to the right
Toughening migration policy under pressure from the far right would be dangerous for the EU, notes The Irish Times:
“Since Germany is the paradigmatic case because of its Nazi history, the consequences for wider European politics are profound either way. ... A far harsher regime of migration control and border closure is being put in place in a number of states, while at EU level external and internal policies are under review. It all puts free movement in question as one of the most valued achievements of European integration.”
Paralysed Berlin will slow everyone down
The polarisation could hinder all progress, Právo fears:
“Even if the AfD does not receive a share of political power after the election, the dysfunctional migration policy threatens to polarise German society to an unprecedented extent and rob it of the strength to turn its economy around. And yet this turnaround is of fundamental importance for the entire EU, including the Czech Republic. ... Tackling the challenges currently facing Europe – the impact of the Green Deal, the war in Ukraine, a possible trade war with the US – will be very difficult with a politically paralysed Germany.”
Decisive election for the EU as a whole
El Periódico de España emphasises the importance of the election:
“Just three weeks from now, Germany will decide Europe's fate. ... If the AfD enters the equation and forms a government with the right, this will likely be the beginning of a journey into the abyss. ... Friedrich Merz, leader of Europe's largest centre-right party and the favourite in the elections, has fallen into the immigration trap, buying into the ultra-discourse of the far right. ... Now there is turmoil and this shot could backfire. ... If the moderate forces give the ultra-nationalists space, Europe will become meaningless and without Germany there will be no Union. That's what is at stake in Berlin after the elections on 23 February.”