After the dispute between the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union, a new agreement on migration reached on July 3 seems to give a breathing space to the government of Angela Merkel

What was the cause of the disagreement between the CDU and the CSU in Germany?

The problem in the German government began with the German immigration policy promoted by Angela Merkel in 2018, which was harshly criticized by the Social Christian Union (CSU). This is due to its tolerance for irregular immigration and the migratory quotas proposed by Brussels. According to La Vanguardia, the crisis was so serious that Prime Minister Horst Seehofer put his resignation letter on the table. There was even talk of a political mutiny, in which the CSU threatened the chancellor with closing the German borders unilaterally, taking advantage of Horst Seehofer's presence in the Ministry of the Interior.

In addition, Angela Merkel knew that if she did not reach an agreement with her most important partner: the CSU, the healthiest thing for the government of Germany would be to dissolve it, explains Deutsche Welle (DW). For this, Merkel, leader of the Christian Democratic Union, and Seehofer, leader of the Christian Social Union, decided to meet on July 3 in Brussels to define once and for all the future of Germany.

The day of the meeting in Brussels

On July 3, the representatives of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union met in the morning hours in the Belgian capital to resolve the disagreements that exist around the new German immigration policy. According to Infobae, after five hours of negotiations, the parties could find common ground on this policy, thus saving the migratory situation and therefore the German government. In addition, the prime minister said in Berlin that "after intense discussions between the CDU and the CSU, an agreement has been reached on how illegal immigration can be prevented in the future on the border between Germany and Austria."

The reforms to immigration policy in Germany were focused on two fundamental points. First, the refugees who requested asylum in other countries of the European Union will have to wait in temporary shelters located in the borders of the Bavarian country until their return to the first EU country through which they entered Europe. Second, the migratory quota in the German territory is finished, since previously the migrants entering Germany were distributed equally by each state of the union until their legal situation was resolved, according to media such as DW and El País.

This decision puts an end to the German migration policy of 2015, in which Merkel opened its borders to more than one million migrants from Africa and the Middle East. However, it is not clear how this new policy will have an impact on the countries of Eastern Europe, where right-wing parties have flatly refused Brussels' policy on migration quotas, according to media such as RTVE and SBS of Australia.

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Will Angela Merkel end up in the government until the next election?

The problems that Angela Merkel had to form a government in early 2018 and the clash of powers between the CDU and the CSU over German immigration policy would indicate that the current government would not hold out until the next presidential term. However, the most important points of German policy, such as the environment, industry, the European Union, the euro and the migration crisis, were already touched by the government coalition at the July 3 meeting. This ended in successful agreements that could ensure Merkel's stability as prime minister until 2021.

LatinAmerican Post | Miguel Díaz

Translated from "Reforma a la política migratoria de Alemania: ¿Un respiro para Angela Merkel?"