Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The parliamentary group of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union has put a resolution to a vote in the German Bundestag (parliament) proposing a series of measures to expel asylum seekers at the border regardless of their protection needs, and to introduce permanent border controls. The proposals are nothing more than a smokescreen because they do not comply with German and EU law. The proposals received a majority of votes from the far-right Alternative for Germany party. According to a statement issued by the European Green Party group in Brussels, a copy of which we received, Vola Tsitsi, co-chair of the European Green Party, said: “The CDU/CSU has blatantly broken the old Brandmauer barrier, the firewall against cooperation with far-right political parties. The CDU/CSU has knowingly relied on the votes of the AfD for its proposals that undermine the human dignity of migrants and refugees. The right to seek asylum is a fundamental human right that helps people fleeing war, violence and persecution. The CDU/CSU is following a dangerous path of unilateral decisions by member states, at a time when Europe needs unity. The European People’s Party (EPP), of which the CDU is a member, was already increasingly cooperating with far-right parties, and now the CDU/CSU is doing the same.” Ciaran Coffey, co-chair of the European Green Party, commented: “The CDU/CSU proposals undermine the Schengen Agreement, a cornerstone of the EU project. “This is all the more dangerous at a time when the EU must stand together to counter Trump’s ‘America First’ slogan with our own ‘Europe United’. A strong commitment to European laws and values ​​is the only effective way to ensure that the EU remains a strong force in the world.”

Last weekend, tens of thousands of people protested against the AfD. They will continue throughout the week. The European Green Party strongly supports these protests, for democracy, for Europe and against the far right, highlighting the tireless work of our member party Bündnis 90/Die Grünen to protect freedom and democracy.

The European Playbook magazine in Brussels said that the incident broke the firewall against the far right: “In a significant moment in the German parliament last night, the centre-right CDU narrowly won a non-binding vote on immigration restrictions with the support of the AfD. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has accused opposition leader Friedrich Merz, the front-runner to succeed him, of breaking the “basic consensus” not to work with the far right. Speaking of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party… German lawmakers are set to debate whether to ban the far-right party, but even its critics cannot agree on whether the debate is useful just weeks before a national election.