Latest news with #MatthiasMiersch
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tensions surface in German coalition over asylum-seeker ruling
Tensions are surfacing within Germany's conservative-led coalition government over migration, after a court ruling last week appeared to prohibit rejecting asylum seekers at the country's borders. The Berlin Administrative Court ruled on Monday that the summary rejection of three Somalis during a check on the border with Poland was unlawful. The urgent ruling meant that "there can no longer be blanket rejections because the courts will stop them," said Matthias Miersch, head of the parliamentary group of the Social Democrats (SPD), which is the junior member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition. Without clarification as to which EU state is responsible for the asylum application of those affected, they should not be turned away, according to the ruling. The court also said the government lacked evidence for its argument that it could reject asylum seekers on the grounds of public safety. The three Somalis are now back in Berlin. Miersch told the weekend edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper that the court's decision raised fundamental questions that the government should address. "The chancellor also stated this very clearly when he said that the practice must be reviewed again in light of this court decision," said Miersch. "And I expect this to happen now," he said, pointing to the possibility otherwise of more legal problems in the near future. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt introduced the more intensive border controls on May 7. He defended the policy again on Saturday, in remarks to the Funke media group of newspapers. "This is an individual judgement," said Dobrindt, referring to the court ruling. "We will provide sufficient justification, but the European Court of Justice should decide on this." The head of the Berlin Administrative Court, Erna Viktoria Xalter, said however that this would not prove successful. Speaking to news portal Zeit Online, she said: "How is this supposed to go through to the ECJ? The urgent decision is incontestable." Merz, who belongs to the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), recently said he would continue to refuse asylum seekers at the border even after the administrative court ruling.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Call for German coalition talks to resolve legal limbo over asylum
Germany's new coalition government needs to start negotiations to respond to a court ruling that prohibits rejecting asylum seekers at the country's borders, a senior member of parliament told reporters. "In my view, there can no longer be blanket rejections because the courts will stop them," said Matthias Miersch, head of the parliamentary group of the Social Democrats (SPD), which is the junior member of the conservative-led coalition. The Berlin Administrative Court ruled on Monday that the rejection of three Somalis during a check on the border with Poland was unlawful. Without clarification as to which EU state is responsible for the asylum application of those affected, they should not be turned away, according to the ruling. The three Somalis are now back in Berlin. Miersch told the weekend edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper that the court's decision raised fundamental questions that the government should address. "Incidentally, the Chancellor [Friedrich Merz] also stated this very clearly when he said that the practice must be reviewed again in light of this court decision," said Miersch. "And I expect this to happen now, because otherwise we will see further proceedings being lost in the coming months." Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt introduced more intensive border controls on May 7, and ordered that asylum seekers should also be able to be turned back at the border in future. Merz, who belongs to the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), recently said he would continue to refuse asylum seekers at the border even after the administrative court ruling. Monday's decision may narrow the government's room for manoeuvre on the issue, although at the current time authorities can effectively still turn back asylum seekers at the border.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
German coalition faces debate over military draft
There are no talks planned between Germany's coalition parties on reintroducing compulsory military service despite the moves to strengthen the armed forces, according to a senior member of parliament. "The coalition agreement clearly states that we are in favour of voluntary service," Matthias Miersch, the leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) parliamentary group - the junior partner in the conservative-led government - told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper. "We can negotiate compulsory military service in the next legislative period if necessary, but not in this one," he added in remarks published on Saturday, referring to the tenure of the current parliament which is due to run until 2029. Miersch said the goal of 60,000 additional soldiers, cited by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, is achievable only in the medium term: "At the moment, there is not nearly enough training capacity available." Military service was mandatory for Germany men from 1956 to 2011, with the possibility of doing civilian service instead on grounds of conscientious objection. However, due to the Ukraine war and the perceived increased Russian threat to Europe, there has been discussion of reintroducing the draft as in some EU states, such as Lithuania in 2015 and Croatia which is planning to do so this year. It comes amid a broader rearmament effort among European nations. Pistorius, also from the SPD, has said that another 60,000 troops would be needed in Germany's active forces for NATO's planning targets for increased defence capability. Pressure from the right The new parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces, Henning Otte, who like Chancellor Friedrich Merz comes from the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), has floated the idea of renewed conscription to prevent the Bundeswehr – Germany's military - from being overstretched. As the new commissioner, Otte told reporters that he intended to "put this on my agenda again this year." The head of the Bundeswehr Association, André Wüstner, also advised the coalition to move towards a possible new draft. To achieve the increased NATO targets, voluntary service must become more attractive, said Wüstner. He also expressed doubts that it would be possible to recruit up to 60,000 additional men and women for the active forces on a voluntary basis. Miersch said that the key question was exactly how to make military service attractive to citizens. This was not currently possible simply because of the lack of equipment, he argued, urging Pistorius to "now invest and appeal to young people differently." The chairman of the defence committee in the parliament, CDU politician Thomas Röwekamp, also backed reintroducing compulsory service. "Of the approximately 700,000 school leavers, less than 10% currently opt for voluntary service and only 10,000 for service in the Bundeswehr," Röwekamp told the Rheinische Post newspaper. "Anyone who wants to live their life in freedom and prosperity cannot rely solely on the commitment of others." He therefore called for compulsory service for men and women in the military or alternatively in social or civil society areas. "In this way, we not only strengthen our defence capabilities, but also social cohesion," he said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senior German Social Democrat insists no compulsory military draft
There are no talks planned between Germany's coalition parties on reintroducing compulsory military service despite the moves to strengthen the armed forces, according to a senior member of parliament. "The coalition agreement clearly states that we are in favour of voluntary service," Matthias Miersch, the leader of the Social Democrats (SDP) parliamentary group - the junior partner in the conservative-led government - told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper. "We can negotiate compulsory military service in the next legislative period if necessary, but not in this one," he added in remarks published on Saturday, referring to the tenure of the current parliament which is due to run until 2029. Miersch said the goal of 60,000 additional soldiers, cited by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, is achievable only in the medium term: "At the moment, there is not nearly enough training capacity available." Military service was mandatory for Germany men from 1956 to 2011, with the possibility of doing civilian service instead on grounds of conscientious objection. However, due to the Ukraine war and the perceived increased Russian threat to Europe, there has been discussion of reintroducing the draft as in some EU states, such as Lithuania in 2015 and Croatia wich is planning to do so this year. It comes amid a broader rearmament effort among European nations. Pistorius, also from the SPD, has said that another 60,000 troops would be needed in Germany's active forces for NATO's planning targets for increased defence capability. The new parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces, Henning Otte, who like Chancellor Friedrich Merz comes from the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), has floated the idea of renewed conscription to prevent the Bundeswehr – Germany's military - from being overstretched. As the new commissioner, Otte told reporters that he intended to "put this on my agenda again this year."
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senior SPD figure rejects supplying German Taurus missiles to Kiev
The parliamentary group leader of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) has rejected the possibility of supplying German-made long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine. "We do not want to become a party of war and that is how we have always understood the rejection of the Taurus delivery and that is how it remains," said Matthias Miersch in Berlin on Tuesday. Kiev has long been pressing Germany to provide the cruise missiles which would allow it to strike targets on Russian soil far beyond the front line. The previous SPD-led government always rejected the request over concerns of being drawn into the war, but a new conservative-led government has since taken office in Berlin, fuelling hope in Kiev of a possible change of course. In the run-up to February's elections, new Chancellor Friedrich Merz signalled openness to providing the missiles to ramp up pressure on Moscow, but has said he would only do so in coordination with European partners. Following one of the worst election results in its history, the SPD agreed to become the junior partner in Merz's coalition government.
