Germany's incoming government announces strict border control measures

BERLIN

Germany's incoming government will implement stricter border controls and turn away irregular migrants at its borders starting next week, a top aide to Chancellor-designate Friedrich Merz announced on Wednesday.

“Anyone attempting to enter Germany illegally must expect to be stopped at the German border starting on May 6,” said Thorsten Frei, the incoming federal minister for special affairs and head of the Chancellery.

The conservative politician told Funke Media Group newspapers that the new coalition government will “expand and intensify” checks on people at German borders immediately after taking office.

Frei emphasized that under EU law and directives, asylum seekers must file their applications in the first EU country they enter. He said the new German coalition government will coordinate this approach with neighboring countries, including France, Austria, and Poland.

Conservative leader Friedrich Merz's CDU/CSU alliance concluded a coalition agreement with the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) in the aftermath of February's elections, with the parties' governing bodies officially approving the deal this week.

On Monday, party leaders will gather in Berlin for the formal signing ceremony, where they will also reveal Cabinet positions and key policy initiatives. The following day, parliament is scheduled to elect Merz Germany's new chancellor, taking over from Social Democrat Olaf Scholz.

The Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) face mounting pressure as voter support has declined in recent weeks, largely due to frustration over the prolonged government formation process. Despite campaigning on promises of stricter immigration controls and swift economic reforms, Merz and his alliance have been unable to implement any changes during this transition period.

A Forsa poll released Tuesday showed support for Merz's Christian Democrats has fallen to 24% — down 4.5 percentage points from their Feb. 23 election win.

The SPD's support dropped to 14%, falling more than 2 percentage points below their election result of 16.4%. Meanwhile, the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party reached a record 26%, gaining five percentage points since February.

Over the past two months, combined support for the coalition partners – the CDU/CSU alliance and SPD – has declined from nearly 45% to 38% amid growing voter discontent. Pollsters indicate that if elections were held this week, the coalition would fail to secure a parliamentary majority.