Merkel’s migrant deal hangs on Social Democrats, EU approval

Berlin, July 3 

A migrant policy deal struck by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to save her government ran into a snag on Tuesday when her Social Democrat coalition partners withheld their immediate consent, saying they needed to scrutinise the compromise.

However, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker responded positively to the plan, which needs the backing of fellow EU states if it is to succeed.

Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and their long-time Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) allies agreed on Monday to set up special transit zones at the border with Austria where migrants already registered in other EU countries will be held.

They would then be sent back to the countries where they had registered first. The plan appeared to settle a dispute between the two conservative partie. Merkel needs not only backing from the Social Democrats, who rejected a similar plan three years ago, but European Union states must also agree to take migrants back.

Austria, the main entry point for migrants into Germany, said it would take measures to protect its own southern borders if Berlin went ahead with the transit zones. It fears that tighter border controls by its northern neighbour could raise the number of migrants on its own soil. — Reuters