German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Minister of Interior Horst Seehofer reached a deal Monday evening. The minister and leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU) had threatened with resignation.
Merkel agreed in setting up closed, “transition” camps for asylum seekers, near the border, where they will be detained while their application is processed.
This is a profound crisis that threatens the unity of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party (CSU), for the first time since 1949. A recent poll suggested that if new elections were to take place today, the CSU may not pass the 5% threshold to enter parliament ?
Seehofer wanted Germany to impose checkpoints along the Bavarian border with Austria, coupled with bilateral deals that would allow push backs. The Chancellor resisted the idea of unilateral policies that would undermine an EU-migration management regime.
New Europe / ABC Flash Point Europe News 2018.
