BERLIN

European countries are voicing concern over Germany's political direction as the Feb. 23 elections approach, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned on Friday.

During a heated parliamentary debate on immigration, Baerbock strongly criticized conservative leader Friedrich Merz for collaborating with the far-right AfD party on bringing forward controversial anti-immigration legislation.

“This is causing fear among our population, where one in four people have an immigrant background. It's also harming our economy, which critically needs skilled workers from across the globe,” the Green politician said.

“And it worries our partners, especially in Europe. I cannot tell you how many messages I have received in the last 48 hours, because Europe is looking at Germany,” she said, warning that opening the door to cooperation with the far-right AfD party is raising concerns in European countries.

Merz, Germany's conservative opposition leader who is leading in polls, has drawn sharp criticism this week for advancing an anti-immigration motion with the far-right AfD's support, breaking a longstanding policy against cooperating with right-wing extremists.

The Christian Democrats' (CDU/CSU) motion, which called for turning away irregular migrants as well as asylum seekers at German borders, narrowly passed parliament 348-345, crucially relying on 75 AfD votes.

Despite widespread criticism, CDU/CSU leader Merz escalated tensions on Friday by demanding a parliamentary vote on his controversial anti-immigration legislation, ignoring warnings from Social Democrats and Greens that relying on the far-right AfD's support would undermine democracy.

Merz's proposed legislation, titled “Limiting the illegal influx of third-country nationals into Germany,” envisages tighter measures to stop irregular migration, faster deportation processes, and a permanent halt to family reunification for those with subsidiary protection status.

During the debate, Baerbock emphasized that the Christian Democrats' proposed changes largely violate EU law and cannot be implemented without cooperation from neighboring countries and other European partners.

The immigration and deportation debate intensified after a deadly knife attack in Aschaffenburg last week. The attack, which claimed two lives—including a child's—and left three others injured, was carried out by a 28-year-old Afghan national with a history of mental illness who had an outstanding deportation order.

CDU/CSU leads pre-election polls

Recent polls show the CDU/CSU bloc, under conservative leader Merz, maintaining a strong lead in voter support.

According to Thursday's INSA poll, the Christian Democrats hold 29% of voter support, down one percentage point from last week. However, even with this lead, Merz would still require a coalition partner to form a government.

The far-right AfD stands at 22%, followed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) at 17%, after gaining 1.5 percentage points. The Greens remain comfortably above the parliamentary threshold at 13%.

In the race for parliamentary representation, the left-wing populist BSW has secured 6%, while both the socialist Die Linke and the liberal FDP trail at 4% – below the required 5% threshold for parliamentary entry.