Merkel migrant deal hangs in the balance

BERLIN: A migrant policy deal struck by Chancellor Angela Merkel to save the German government got a sceptical reception on Tuesday from her Social Democrat coalition partners, although Brussels said it appeared at first sight to comply with European law.

The centre-right leader needs the backing of both her junior coalition partner and fellow EU states if the plan 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 and then sent back to the countries where they had registered first.

The plan appeared to settle a dispute between the two conservative parties that had threatened Merkel’s three-month-old government. But a Forsa poll on Tuesday showed a majority of Germans to be unhappy about the agreement.

The Social Democrats, who rejected a similar plan three years ago, withheld their immediate consent and EU states must also agree to take migrants back.

Social Democrat leader Andrea Nahles said the plan was worthless without bilateral deals with countries such as Italy and Austria. “We have many open questions,” said Nahles, whose lawmakers discussed the deal on Tuesday.

Securing the consent of other EU countries was crucial, she said, adding: “That’s why I consider the deal for now as an uncovered cheque.”