German government denies report on 'national emergency' plan to curb migration

BERLIN

The German government on Thursday denied a media report which said that Chancellor Friedrich Merz had declared a state of "national emergency" to restrict migration.

“The chancellor is not declaring a national emergency,” government spokesman Stefan Kornelius told the BILD newspaper.

Earlier in the day, the daily WELT reported that the new German government planned to activate Article 72 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union which would result in more border controls and the rejection of asylum seekers.

According to the report, the ambassadors of Germany’s neighboring countries were being informed by the Interior Ministry, however it was still unclear when the "state of emergency" would begin.

New German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Wednesday that asylum seekers will be turned back at the border in a move aimed at fighting illegal migration.

It is not about turning everyone back starting tomorrow, but about "reducing the numbers," he said, adding that pregnant women, children, and other members of vulnerable groups will not be turned away.

Dobrindt stressed that he wanted to send a "signal to the world and Europe" that "policy in Germany has changed."

As part of the new center right-wing coalition agreement between the Christian Democratic Union and its sister party, the Christian Social Union and their junior partner, the Social Democratic Party, it was agreed that “in coordination with our European neighbors, we will also reject asylum seekers at our common borders.”

Dobrindt also directed the Federal Police to strengthen border controls. The current 11,000 police officers were supplemented with an additional 2,000 to 3,000 officers.

Last year, 229,751 people applied for asylum in Germany for the first time. This was around 100,000 fewer first-time asylum applications than in the previous year. The main countries of origin currently include Syria and Afghanistan.

Germany has been carrying out temporary checks at all land borders since September 16, 2024 as part of the fight against irregular migration.