Christian Democratic Union of Germany, the country's conservative political party, has stated that moving forward, migrants should be able to assimilate the culture and language of the country, which will serve as their path towards German citizenship. Moreover, it has also stressed that non-European migrants will be turned away and requested to migrate to other European countries.
"It Is The Way We Live"
In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Alexander Throm, the CDU's spokesperson for interior affairs, stated that all non-German residents in the country should embrace the principle of "Leitkultur" (translated as "guiding culture"), stressing that 'it is the way that every Germans live in Germany as a cultural nation'.
"It concerns not only our languages and customs, but also our cultural and historical foundations. It ultimately means that people, no matter why they come to Germany, orient themselves towards this cultural basis, not the other way around," Throm said.
In addition, should the CDU also win the upcoming 2025 German elections, Throm said Germany will start turning non-European refugees away given that the country has a "special duty" towards Ukrainian migrants.
"It is clear that we stand by our European neighbours and by refugees. But it's also clear that, with every further movement of refugees in our direction, we must ensure that they are appropriately distributed in all European countries," he added.
Throm stated that other EU member states should take a fair share of taking in migrants, given how Germany has already taken in 1.2 million migrants from Ukraine.
CDU On Clamping Down on Immigration
The CDU has long been introducing stringent measures on immigration, a move that was highlighted during the leadership of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. For context, in Merkel's early years, Germany gradually positioned itself as a country that welcomed skilled workers, responding to demographic challenges such as an aging population and labor shortages.
Moreover, she also supported the "Leitkultur" ideology, yet also showed regret about multiculturalism in the country. Merkel herself stated in 2010 that multiculturalism has "utterly failed" in fostering social cohesion, signaling a preference for integration over cultural pluralism.
Nonetheless, in 2015, Merkel adopted an open-door policy in response to the massive influx of refugees fleeing conflict zones, particularly Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Approximately 1 million asylum seekers entered Germany in 2015 alone.
As a result of the sudden influx of immigrants, a lot of government and commercial projects were stalled, which resulted in a slew of discussion and party feuds related to the immigration policy. In 2023, several CDU party members took a hard stance on Merkel's immigration policies, highlighting that Germany should limit the number of asylum seekers entering the country and Europe overall.
"We want to regain control of migration," Mario Voigt, the head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the German state of Thuringia, said. "We are a cosmopolitan and hospitable country. But hospitality doesn't mean removing the front door. Instead, hospitality means deciding for ourselves who and how many come into our homes."
Moreover, other CDU party members have expressed interest in setting up a plan to relocate future refugees to third countries for processing of asylum applications such as Ghana and Rwanda in Africa, or to non-EU European countries such as Moldova and Georgia.
"If we did this and kept it up consequently for four, six, eight weeks, we would see the numbers [claiming asylum] reduce dramatically," said Jens Spahn, who is vice parliamentary leader of the CDU.
Ukrainian Migrants Aren't Safe As Well
While CDU notes that Ukrainians are safe to migrate to the country due to its special mission for the European Union, other conservative parties like the Christian Social Union (CSU) are calling for future migrants to be sent back to Ukraine.
"More than two years after the start of the war, the principle must now apply: Take work in Germany or return to safe areas of western Ukraine," the CSU's parliamentary leader Alexander Dobrindt told the tabloid Bild am Sonntag newspaper at the weekend (as reported by DW).
Despite migration researchers frequently disproving the claim, Dobrindt reiterated the argument that unemployment benefits, referred to as Bürgergeld or citizens' income, were discouraging Ukrainians from seeking employment.
"We need stronger obligations to cooperate for asylum-seekers when it comes to taking up work," he said.
Balancing Humanitarian Support and Nationalistic Identity
Christian Democratic Union's push for stricter migration measures reflects ongoing concerns about balancing Germany's demographic and economic needs with public sentiment and integration challenges. By focusing on limiting non-European migration, the CDU aims to address domestic pressures while framing its policies within broader debates on national identity and cultural cohesion. As Germany continues to navigate complex global migration patterns, these measures are likely to shape the country's socio-political landscape for years to come, highlighting the tension between humanitarian commitments and political pragmatism.
