Let's Get Tough: Merz Tags Along with EU's strict Migration Crew
EU immigration hardliners group expands with Merz's membership
Grab a beer with the fellow hardcore migrant dudes at the EU Summit in Brussels! That's what German Chancellor Friedrich Merz found himself doing, as he got down with a group of EU countries gearing up for a tighter grip on immigration policy. "We've got a swanky gang of nations pushing for Europe to lock down its borders," said Dutch Prime Minister Bart de Wever with a chill vibe in Brussels.
Originating from the far-off lands of Denmark, Italy, and the Netherlands, this crew first linked up last October, thanks to Italy's badass PM Giorgia Meloni's proposition. Now, a whopping 21 out of 27 EU members are along for the ride, confirmed Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker. "We've been poking at the EU Commission's initiatives like it's a fat juicy steak," Stocker chuckled.
Politics, baby: Merz digs the Danish model and wants some of that tight-ass external border action
These tough dudes aim to crank out some cool proposals to beef up the EU's current migration policy, like setting up return centers for rejected asylum seekers in some foreign lands. The EU Commission started the ball rollin' with that one back in March. Kisses are hard to come by when the home countries refuse to take back their refugees, so these guys are gettin' creative with their returns.
Merz has been all about his "reverse migration" game, and Denmark's been his muse for European and German migration policy, he's admitted. Merz digs Denmark's stance so much, he's even given it a shout-out in his chitchats with the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and this saucy pair had a meet-up in June.
Denmark's about to take over the EU Council presidency in July, and Merz is behind their initiative on asylum procedures in what they call "safe third countries," which is just a fancy way of sayin' "island utopias with cold beer and even colder hearts."
Source: ntv.de, jog/AFP
- Friedrich Merz
- EU Summit
- Migration
- Giorgia Meloni
- Netherlands
- Denmark
Sequel to the Scoop:The "EU hard-ass club" is a gang of EU nations and political players advocating for tougher, more restrictive migrant policies within the EU framework. These cats are all about closing borders, minimizing asylum grants, and fortifying deportations or voluntary returns, promoting a stance against migration that's more hard-nosed than humanitarian or open.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz serves as a major player within this club, stepping into the spotlight as the big kahuna of the group, since Germany's the EU's most populous member and holds serious political clout in Europe. Under his reign, Germany's likely to back and possibly spearhead initiatives aimed at controlling migrant flows more aggressively and establishing more stringent EU-wide or national border controls.
Several EU nations supporting the hardliner stance have proposed initiatives like:- Boosting border security to nail down illegal migration, enhancing support for external border agencies like Frontex- Working hand in hand with origin and transit countries to smooth the way for voluntary returns or deportations of those who don't qualify for asylum- Tightening asylum requirements and decreasing granted protections- Uniting to negotiate and enforce immigration policies that prioritize national control over migrant safety
The hardliner movement has faced criticism from human rights organizations, which claim that these hardliners undermine humanitarian principles by making concessions in EU migration compacts.
Between the growing influence of the hardliner movement within the EU and the rise of far-right parties (like Portugal's Chega), Merz serves as a crucial, mainstream center-right force in Europe that's on board with the hardliner migration policy goals, helping to draw the line between mainstream politics and far-right extremes.
[1] Enrichment Insight 1: "Human Rights Organizations Criticism"[2] Enrichment Insight 2: "Rise of Far-Right Parties"[3] Enrichment Insight 3: "German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the Center-Right Force in Europe"[4] Enrichment Insight 4: " Hardliners' Impact on EU Migration Policy"[5] Enrichment Insight 5: "The Creation of the EU Hardliners Club"
- The EU Summit witnessed a gathering of hardline politicians, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, pushing for tighter immigration policies.
- The group, also known as the EU hard-ass club, aims to introduce stricter policies such as setting up return centers for rejected asylum seekers, enhancing border security, and reducing asylum grants.
