Merkel says #Germany will reduce refugee arrivals

In an address to the Christian Democratic Union on Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to limit the flow of refugees entering the country, addressing critics in her own party who have questioned her decision to open Germany’s borders.

“We want to, and we will, noticeably reduce the number of refugees”, she said to rapturous applause at the congress in Karlsruhe, in the south-western state of Baden-Wurttemberg, which will hold state elections in March.

While Germany has reintroduced border controls in the Autumn to face the crisis, Merkel reaffirmed her commitment to the Schengen free-travel area. The CDU leader then nailed her political future to succeeding in the refugee crisis, likening her “we can manage this” refugee crisis mantra to Helmut Kohl’s promise in 1990 of “blossoming landscapes” for eastern Germany and Ludwig Erhard’s 1950s vow of “prosperity for all”. To successfully integrate refugees, it was essential to explain to them Germany’s “strong native identity” of non-negotiable values, she said, such as religious freedom and equality of gender and sexuality.

“We will reduce the number of refugees noticeably”, said the chancellor, adding: “This is in Germany’s and Europe’s interest, and in the interest of the refugees”.

Merkel claimed she would reduce the number of Balkan asylum-seekers from 40% of the influx to “almost zero”, insisting that the “rule of law” would help those who need protection.

The compromise text, due to be passed later Monday, instead calls for a “tangible reduction of asylum seekers and refugees”. “But it’s never been easy in Europe, never in all of these 10 years that I have so far experienced”.

Next to the refugee crisis, all the other issues Merkel wanted to bring up might have seemed insignificant.

In her speech, Merkel defended once again her action.

The leader of the CDU’s sister party CSU, Horst Seehofer, has described Merkel’s position as “a mistake”. They say the open-door policy on refugees would endanger her hopes of winning a fourth term in 2017.

There was little sign of division as delegates gave Mrs Merkel, who was last week named Time magazine’s person of the year, a nine-minute standing ovation. Wolfgang Schäuble, a hardliner in the refugee debate, warned delegates and Dr Merkel: “Wanting to do good is not enough”.

Another poll by Emnid showed that the ratings of the CDU party and its Bavarian CSU ally continue to fall, dropping to 37 percent from 43 in mid-August, as reported by Reuters.

Nevertheless, the CDU has recovered its footing in the polls after a steep drop in the autumn and is now tallying about 39 percent, just 2.5 points off its 2013 showing in the general election.