Merkel, Seehofer and the battle of personalities that led to dangerous game of brinkmanship

Merkel, Seehofer and the battle of personalities that led to dangerous game of brinkmanship

Under the EU’s Dublin rules, asylum seekers can be sent back to the first member state they entered, but this currently only happens after they apply for asylum in Germany, a process Mr Seehofer says is too expensive and time-consuming.

Mrs Merkel says turning them away at the German border could wreck her attempts to negotiate an Europe-wide migrant policy at the next EU summit in two weeks.

In a bid to get the best deal, she’s sticking to her guns. In a podcast released yesterday (SAT) Mrs Merkel insisted: “This is a European challenge that also needs a European solution. And I view this issue as decisive for keeping Europe together.”

But to understand why the two leaders are ready to risk the entire government on this point, it is necessary to go back to the summer of 2015, when Mrs Merkel threw open Germany’s borders to migrants.

Mr Seehofer was opposed to the decision from the start, and repeatedly implored Mrs Merkel to close the borders. But she rebuffed him at every turn. In November 2015, he ambushed Mrs Merkel at the CSU party conference and publicly humiliated her by making her stand and listen as he lectured her like a recalcitrant schoolgirl.

The two patched up their differences and put on a united front for last year’s elections, and as his reward Mr Seehofer got control of migrant policy as interior minister. But it was clear the truce was over earlier this year when he used an interview to declare Islam “does not belong” in Germany within days of taking office.

, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/17/merkel-seehofer-battle-personalities-led-dangerous-game-brinkmanship/

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