Latest news with #Merz
Bloomberg
17 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Merz Tells EU Leaders to Beware Growing Dangers of a Debt Crisis
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned European Union leaders that the mounting debts of governments and companies are fueling the risk of a new financial crisis. 'We must always keep this danger in mind,' Merz said at a press conference in Berlin Friday, following a week of high-level summit meetings. 'We have a record high for state debt, a record high for corporate debt, and a record high for private household debt. None of this is a healthy development.'
Euronews
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Euronews
German lawmakers vote to curb family reunification programme
German lawmakers on Friday voted to suspend family reunification rights for migrants who fall short of full asylum status, part of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's push to crack down on immigration. The lower house of Parliament voted 444 to 135 in favour of suspending family reunions for migrants with subsidiary protection, a status granted to people allowed to stay because it's too dangerous to return home, even though they are not officially recognised as refugees. As of the end of March, more than 388,000 people in Germany, primarily Syrians, held subsidiary protection status. The new legislation suspends rules introduced in 2018 that allowed up to 1,000 close relatives per month to join migrants with this status. Until now, German authorities made case-by-case decisions based on humanitarian grounds, rather than granting an automatic right to family reunification. The law does not affect individuals who have been granted asylum or recognised as refugees under the Geneva Refugee Convention. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told lawmakers the change would reduce the number of people able to come to Germany by around 12,000 per year and would "break a business model" for human traffickers. Dobrindt defended the measure, arguing that the country's "capacity for integration simply has a limit." "Many people know they won't receive full refugee recognition," Dobrindt said, "but they still head for Germany because it's known that, even without asylum status, you can bring your family later. That creates a strong pull factor, and today, we are eliminating that pull factor." The Social Democrats (SPD) — a member party of Merz's governing coalition — expressed concerns about the legislation but ultimately agreed to it as part of a political compromise. Germany's Minister for Migration, Refugees and Integration, Natalie Pawlik, acknowledged the discomfort within her party, saying, "Integration works better when families are together." She added, however, that the SPD would support the measure, noting it does not apply to so-called hardship cases and is limited to two years. The bill approved on Friday marks the first migration legislation passed since Merz took office. His government has pledged tougher immigration policies amid mounting public pressure.
Fashion United
20 hours ago
- Business
- Fashion United
US makes new offer to EU in tariff dispute
In the trade dispute with the EU, the US submitted a new offer. The European Commission confirmed on Thursday that it had received a relevant US document. It was being reviewed, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday night after an EU summit. "We are ready for an agreement. At the same time, we are preparing for the possibility that no satisfactory agreement will be reached," Von der Leyen said, adding: "All options remain on the table." Neither the Commission president nor European Council President António Costa would comment on the content of the proposal. Merz wants quick and simple solution German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged for swift action after the consultations in Brussels: "A quick and simple solution now is better than a slow and highly complicated one," he said, referring to the negotiations with the US. The tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump were endangering German companies. At the same time, Merz stressed that he was not criticising the current negotiation strategy of the responsible European Commission. "I only suggested and urged that this should not be made too complicated now," he explained. Trump threatens further tariffs if agreement fails Merz's comments came against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's intention to impose even more tariffs from July 9 if the EU does not accommodate the US on trade issues. The Republican justified his approach primarily by saying that he wanted to correct alleged trade imbalances. At the same time, tariff revenues were intended to at least partially offset his expensive campaign promise of large tax cuts. The European Commission, on the other hand, considered the tariffs unjustified and incompatible with the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Von der Leyen: EU prepared for countermeasures In the event that no acceptable agreement with the US could be reached, the authority intended to quickly impose retaliatory tariffs. Von der Leyen stressed that they were prepared to defend European interests if necessary and had discussed a list of "countervailing measures". Merz expressed support for this approach. "If there is no agreement on tariffs, then the European Union is ready and able to take appropriate measures of its own," he said. Agreement in negotiations between China and the US In the conflict between China and the US, however, a step towards de-escalation seemed to have been achieved. According to both countries, negotiators were able to agree on an end to certain trade restrictions. As the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing announced, China would examine and approve applications for the export of 'controlled goods' that complied with the regulations. In return, the US would lift a number of 'restrictive measures' against China, it said. US President Donald Trump had previously mentioned a signed agreement with China - but left many questions unanswered. US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick subsequently confirmed in an interview with the financial news agency Bloomberg that the deal with China had been signed. Because of China's export restrictions on rare earths, industry outside the People's Republic recently came under considerable pressure. Will the WTO be replaced in the long term? Triggered by the looming trade wars, there was a new idea in the European Union: a replacement for the now largely incapacitated WTO. At the EU summit, Von der Leyen brought up a 'redesign' of the organisation. Merz even spoke of a 'new kind of trade organisation' that could gradually replace 'what we no longer have with the WTO today'. The CDU chairman meant mechanisms for resolving trade disputes. The European Commission could establish such mechanisms for new EU trade agreements, Merz said. The WTO was founded in 1995 to dismantle global trade barriers. For years, it has suffered from increasing protectionism, outdated rules and the blockade of its appellate body. Reforms have so far failed due to the disagreement of the members. This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
21 hours ago
- Politics
German lawmakers vote to suspend family reunions for many migrants
BERLIN -- German lawmakers voted Friday to suspend family reunions for many migrants, part of a drive by the new conservative-led government for a tougher approach to migration. Parliament's lower house voted 444-135 to suspend the possibility of family reunions for two years for migrants who have 'subsidiary protection,' a status that falls short of asylum. At the end of March, more than 388,000 people living in Germany had the status, which was granted to many people fleeing Syria's civil war. New Chancellor Friedrich Merz made tougher migration policy a central plank of his campaign for Germany's election in February. Just after he took office in early May, the government stationed more police at the border and said some asylum-seekers trying to enter Europe's biggest economy would be turned away. The bill approved Friday is the first legislation on migration since Merz took office. It will suspend rules dating to 2018 that allowed up to 1,000 close relatives per month to join the migrants granted limited protection, with authorities making case-by-case decisions on humanitarian grounds rather than granting an automatic right for reunions. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told lawmakers that the change would result in 12,000 fewer people being able to come to Germany each year and 'break a business model' for smugglers. People often know they won't get full recognition as refugees, 'but they set off for Germany because it is known that, even without asylum recognition ... you can have your family follow," Dobrindt said. "That is a significant pull effect and we are removing this pull effect today.' Dobrindt said 'our country's capacity for integration simply has a limit.' Liberal opposition lawmakers decried the government's approach. Marcel Emmerich, of the Greens, described the legislation as 'an attack on the core of every society, on a truly central value — the family.' 'Anyone who wants integration must bring families together,' he said. The far-right, anti-migration Alternative for Germany described the move as a very small step in the right direction. German governments have for years faced pressure to curb migration as shelters across the country filled up. The administration of Merz's predecessor, Olaf Scholz, already had taken some measures including the introduction of checks on all Germany's borders. Asylum applications declined from 329,120 in 2023 to 229,751 last year and have continued to fall this year.
San Francisco Chronicle
21 hours ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
German lawmakers vote to suspend family reunions for many migrants
BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers voted Friday to suspend family reunions for many migrants, part of a drive by the new conservative-led government for a tougher approach to migration. Parliament's lower house voted 444-135 to suspend the possibility of family reunions for two years for migrants who have 'subsidiary protection,' a status that falls short of asylum. At the end of March, more than 388,000 people living in Germany had the status, which was granted to many people fleeing Syria's civil war. New Chancellor Friedrich Merz made tougher migration policy a central plank of his campaign for Germany's election in February. Just after he took office in early May, the government stationed more police at the border and said some asylum-seekers trying to enter Europe's biggest economy would be turned away. The bill approved Friday is the first legislation on migration since Merz took office. It will suspend rules dating to 2018 that allowed up to 1,000 close relatives per month to join the migrants granted limited protection, with authorities making case-by-case decisions on humanitarian grounds rather than granting an automatic right for reunions. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told lawmakers that the change would result in 12,000 fewer people being able to come to Germany each year and 'break a business model' for smugglers. People often know they won't get full recognition as refugees, 'but they set off for Germany because it is known that, even without asylum recognition ... you can have your family follow," Dobrindt said. "That is a significant pull effect and we are removing this pull effect today.' Liberal opposition lawmakers decried the government's approach. Marcel Emmerich, of the Greens, described the legislation as 'an attack on the core of every society, on a truly central value — the family.' 'Anyone who wants integration must bring families together,' he said. The far-right, anti-migration Alternative for Germany described the move as a very small step in the right direction. German governments have for years faced pressure to curb migration as shelters across the country filled up. The administration of Merz's predecessor, Olaf Scholz, already had taken some measures including the introduction of checks on all Germany's borders. Asylum applications declined from 329,120 in 2023 to 229,751 last year and have continued to fall this year.
