Olaf Scholz has presided over a “historic” shift to Germany’s immigration policy as his far-right anti-migration opponents rise through the polls.
The German Chancellor has rowed back on policies introduced by his predecessor, Angela Merkel, deemed generally “welcoming” to migrants.
During her 16 years as German premier, she laid the groundwork for Germany to accept Europe’s highest proportion of asylum seekers, with more than three million refugees currently resident in the country.
Some of her “welcoming measures” are being rowed back by the current administration as the asylum system comes under increased strain, with the nearly 37,000 applications received in 2023 making up 32 percent of the EU’s as a whole.
Mr Scholz has reacted to the issue by tightening national immigration measures as the SDP’s far-right opponents pile on pressure from the sidelines, with his party losing ground in the polls.
Alternative for Germany (AfD), a highly controversial party known for its extreme anti-immigrant rhetoric and largely unpopular among Germans, accused the government of failing to tackle a roughly 50 percent increase in new arrivals.
The party is currently the second most popular in Germany, with approximately 20 percent of the vote in recent polls, five percent ahead of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SDP) on 15 percent.
Mr Scholz has reacted by introducing what Euronews has described as a “historic turn” in policy, as his government has border check agreements with several of its neighbours, including Poland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic and will soon cut asylum seekers’ benefits.
And its overall tune has shifted from welcoming to discouraging immigration, marking a significant shift in Germany’s approach to immigration.
Speaking to Euronews, David Kipp, a migration expert with the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said Germans feel they are “losing control” as immigration numbers increase.
But it also appears they don’t have an appetite for extreme measures, with a recent plan from the AfD that followed a closed-doors meeting with Austrian extremists having caused countrywide demonstrations.
In early January, it was revealed by German investigative outlet Correctiv that the groups had reportedly discussed a “master plan” to deport migrants and “unassimilated citizens”.
The “remigration” plan, presented by Austrian Identitarian leader Martin Sellner, would reportedly see millions expelled from Germany.
Asylum seekers and people with a legal right to remain would be among those targeted by the plan, but Germans have protested the news en masse.
Protests were held at 100 locations across the country just days after the reports emerged, with the latest round having seen 200,000 people turn out against the AfD, an increase from the approximately 100,000 who participated in similar demonstrations in January.
