Her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is at odds with her Interior Minister Horst Seehofer's Bavarian branch of the Christian Social Union (CSU) over his so-called "Masterplan for Migration", the full details of which have yet to be disclosed, and this extremely emotive issue has led to media reports that the country's ruling coalition between these two parties is facing an impending collapse. Seehofer wants his region to turn back all migrants who had earlier registered in other EU countries, while Merkel wants to keep the borders open.
Her chancellorship was saved, at least for now, after she agreed to Seehofer's two-week ultimatum for striking a European solution to this crisis, meaning that the upcoming EU Summit next Thursday and Friday on 28 and 29 June will be pivotal in determining whether her EuroLiberal government will be the next one to fall after Italy's just did a few months ago. Speaking of which, the Southern European country has taken the vanguard role in leading the bloc's traditional members towards the path of migrant reform, boldly refusing to accept any more people who illegally attempt to enter the country by sea. This drew Seehofer's attention, who then suggested that Germany, Italy, and Austria work together to combat this asymmetrical security threat.
Merkel is therefore under very heavy pressure to change her ways otherwise she risks the collapse of her country's ruling coalition and possible snap elections that could unseat her from power just months after prolonged post-election wrangling paralyzed the EU's most influential country and paved the way for historic rival France to chip away at its continental leadership. After Italy added a powerful impetus to Hungary & Poland's EuroRealist reform initiatives, it now seems to be inevitable that some sort of a deal will have to be struck in sustainably responding to the Migrant Crisis, though at the risk of the German Chancellor backtracking on her signature "open borders" policy, looking very weak, and becoming even more politically vulnerable as a result.
Andrew Korybko is joined by Thomas Trautzsch, German political commentator, and Michael Schäfer, journalist and novelist from Germany, former 20-year-long member of the SPD and actual member of DIE LINKE (the Left) party.
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