Germany’s former Chancellor Angela Merkel has criticised the border policies of the new CDU-led government led by her former rival, Friedrich Merz.
The stricter border controls could lead to Europe “being destroyed”, she warned.
Migration proved a major issue in German elections, with Merz’s coalition government of Christian Democrats and Socialists introducing changes afterward to stiffen border checks and raise the bar for asylum seekers.
Merkel said she opposed these measures.
“I do not believe that we will be able to conclusively combat illegal migration on the German-Austrian or German-Polish borders,” Merkel said a Südwest Presse event in Bavaria’s town of Neu-Ulm May 21.
The former Chancellor was speaking to promote her autobiography Freedom, and discussed current events Südwest Presse’s editor in chief Ulrich Becker.
“I have always advocated European solutions,” she said, indicating the focus should lie on protecting the EU’s external borders.
Unilateral action by individual states could harm Schengen and freedom of movement in Europe, Merkel warned.
She pleaded for solutions to be sought within the European Union, regardless of urgency some felt in her country.
“Because otherwise we could see Europe being destroyed for us,” she said.
"Wenn die Grenzkontrollen permanenter Zustand werden, wird uns das die Freizügigkeit in der EU kosten." – Angela Merkel gestern.
— Marcel Emmerich (@herr_emmerich) May 22, 2025
Die Regierung fliegt bei Grenzkontrollen blind und antieuropäisch. Schwarz-Rot greift damit die europäische Einigung massiv an. pic.twitter.com/eEWopVBefP
Others on Germany’s political Left also have criticised the Merz government’s current border policies.
Gabriele Bischoff, the EU parliamentary group vice-chairman of the Social Democrats, told the weekly magazine Der Spiegel “The first consequences of [interior minister] Dobrindt’s border controls are traffic jams, frustration and delays. These measures send a devastating signal to cross-border commuters.”
On the Right, people were less impressed.
Bernd Baumann, chief whip of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party (AfD) in the Bundestag, called Dobrindt’s plan a “great deception”.
Immediately after the new government was formed in Germany, Merkel said she was “pleased” with the coalition agreement and was positive about the migration policies of the new administration.
“After reading it carefully, I saw that border rejections are to be carried out in coordination with our European neighbours,” Merkel said.
“That’s exactly what I always advocated for — it’s what law and order demands,” she said at the time.