Angela Merkel’s self-critical comments on migration
September 21st, 2016A pro-government columnist thinks that despite her self-critical comments, Chancellor Merkel is unlikely to make a U-turn on migration policy. The leading left-wing daily praises Angela Merkel’s efforts and contrasts her inclusive politics with the Hungarian government’s migration rhetoric.
Chancellor Merkel needs to revise her migration vision, László J. Kiss writes in Magyar Idők. The international relations professor interprets Angela Merkel’s self-critical comments as an admission of failure. She spoke after the Berlin local elections.
Chancellor Merkel said that historically speaking, Germany has not been successful at integrating migrants, and has also been unprepared to handle the current refugee situation properly. Chancellor Merkel suggested that she was wrong to assume that Germany was prepared to handle the inflow of hundreds of thousands of migrants. She added, however, that she still considers humanitarian considerations a priority in immigration policies, although ‘asylum seekers cannot be admitted to the country in an uncontrolled manner’.
Kiss thinks that Chancellor Merkel will make some adjustments and introduce somewhat more restrictive immigration rules, but she is unlikely to make a U-turn in her migration policy. As she has no real alternative, Angela Merkel is likely to lead the Christian Democrats in the 2017 election year, despite the decline of the party’s popularity, Kiss suspects.
Angela Merkel has at least tried to be humane, Népszabadság comments in a front page editorial. The leading left-wing daily thinks that Chancellor Merkel did the right thing even if she failed to convince German voters of the need to offer humanitarian help to migrants. Népszabadság contrasts Angeal Merkel’s efforts to make German society more inclusive, tolerant and welcoming with PM Orbán’s attitude. The Hungarian Prime Minister, according to Népszabadság, wants to draw political advantage out of xenophobia.