Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker described German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as a key partner in reducing irregular migration to Europe, despite recent tensions over Germany’s domestic border controls.
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker has identified German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as a crucial ally in efforts to cut irregular migration to Europe, even as tensions linger between their two countries over Germany’s recent border crackdown. “We need a solution to ensure that procedures take place at the external [European Union] border,” Stocker said on POLITICO’s Berlin Playbook Podcast. “Protecting our internal borders in the Schengen area cannot be the last answer. This can only be an emergency solution,” he added ahead of planned talks with Merz in Berlin.
“I am very happy that I have a partner in Friedrich Merz who sees these things very similarly,” Stocker said.
Stocker described Austria as “a pioneer” in promoting stricter European asylum policies. Germany, under pressure from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), has adopted tougher measures under Merz, including increased border checks and a pledge to turn away more undocumented immigrants, including asylum seekers. This move, initiated just days after Merz’s government took office, has led to criticism from France, Poland, and Austria, who argue that such controls undermine Schengen’s free movement principles.
However, the number of asylum seekers turned away at Germany’s borders has been low, leading some to call the crackdown largely symbolic. Stocker downplayed the tensions, stating, “I believe that these restrictions do not have a major impact…these border controls are ultimately a solution that is not intended to be permanent, but sometimes it is a necessary one.”
Ahead of the European Council summit in Brussels, Merz attended a gathering of anti-immigration European leaders, including Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen. “We are back on board with the topic of migration,” a German chancellery official said.
Stocker said he supports the European Commission’s plan to overhaul the EU’s deportation system, called for heightened controls on the bloc’s external borders, and advocated for asylum procedures to be carried out at Europe’s borders rather than within member states. “It’s a matter of coordinating our positions, while also coordinating how we deal with the issues discussed in the European Council at the European level,” Stocker said prior to his meeting with Merz.
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