(de-news.net) – The Union parties’ candidate for the office of chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has announced an additional migration policy bill for this week, besides existing proposals to be introduced to the Bundestag. According to the press agency AFP, CDU and CSU plan amendments to asylum and residence laws, emphasizing border rejections and limiting overall immigration. CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann, meanwhile, asserted that border rejections align with EU law and the constitution, citing Article 72 of the EU’s functioning which indicates that, in cases where national order and security are threatened, nation-states are permitted to undertake independent initiatives and enact legislation. Linnemann anticipates minimal dissent within the Union faction.

Meanwhile, the minority government of SPD and Greens has warned that Merz’s plans could jeopardize progress in reducing immigration, risking cooperation with neighboring countries and facing high legal hurdles for declaring a national emergency. The SPD-Green coalition has rejected plans to toughen border controls as unconstitutional. FDP’s Marco Buschmann reiterated support for CDU/CSU’s proposals, calling it “new realpolitik.”