Germany’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz intends to declare a state of emergency on migration, the Welt newspaper has reported.
Euronews has been told by government officials that Merz wants to declare a national emergency in order to step up the increased deportations of people attempting to enter Germany illegally via a safe EU country.
Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt want to invoke Article 72 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
This would mean that national law would apply to border protection and internal security with immediate effect.
However, Brussels would first have to decide on this.
Ambassadors of neighbouring countries are being briefed by the interior ministry about the move, the paper said.
But it is not immediately clear when the national emergency is set to begin.
Government sources told Euronews that the interior ministry is already making extensive preparations for the state of emergency.
On Wednesday, Dobrindt said he had instructed federal police to tighten border controls with the aim of turning back more irregular migrants, including those who intended to seek asylum.
“We will control the borders more strictly…will also lead to a higher number of rejections,” Dobrindt said less than a day after being sworn into office.
Dobrindt said however that vulnerable people, including children and pregnant women, would not be turned back at the border.
Those plans attracted criticism from both Poland and Austria and its legality has been questioned by some legal experts.
But it’s widely considered that Merz declaring a state of emergency means he protects himself against legal challenges.
