At his first EU summit in Brussels, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) clearly expressed his support for a tougher EU migration policy and simultaneously urged for swift customs agreements with the United States. Shortly before the summit, Merz participated in an informal meeting of EU hardliners on refugee policy in Brussels on Thursday. The summit then began, with the next sanctions package against Russia to be discussed in the afternoon. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy planned to join via video conference.
Merz first took part in the informal meeting of 21 of the 27 member states on the topic of migration - a symbolic gesture, because in this round proposals for a tightened migration policy are to be developed. "There is a club of countries that believe that Europe's migration policy must be tightened. We are pleased that Germany is joining for the first time," said Dutch Prime Minister Bart de Wever. Denmark, Italy, and the Netherlands had hosted the meeting.
It stems from an initiative by the ultra-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in October. "We have intensively considered how to deal with the EU Commission's initiatives," said Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker. These include, for example, the establishment of so-called return or deportation centers for rejected asylum seekers in third countries. The EU Commission had cleared the way for this in March. The reason is the refusal of many refugees' home countries to take them back.
Merz has committed himself to a "migration turnaround." On Wednesday, it was announced that the federal government will no longer provide financial support to civilian sea rescuers. Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) justified this decision on Thursday. "I don't believe it is the Foreign Office's responsibility to use funds for this form of sea rescue now," the minister said in Berlin. The CDU/CSU had consistently criticized the support and accused the sea rescuers of de facto collaborating with human trafficking groups.
In the tariff dispute with the US, Merz continues to push for swift action. "I also support the EU Commission in all its efforts to quickly reach a trade agreement with the US," Merz said in Brussels. A deadline set by Trump for negotiations with the EU expires on July 9. He had accused the EU Commission of negotiating "too complicated."
Trump's tariff policy has sparked a dispute with trading partners around the world. A higher tariff rate of 25 percent already applies to certain products, such as cars and steel and aluminum products. In May, he further threatened to increase the general tariff rate for the EU to 50 percent. The EU Commission will continue negotiations until July 9, but is also preparing possible retaliatory tariffs.
The summit also addressed the situation in the Gaza Strip. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez spoke of a "catastrophic genocide situation" and called for the immediate suspension of the EU Association Agreement with Israel. Germany rejects this. Austrian Chancellor Stocker also spoke out against it. He said that "no improvement in the situation in Gaza can be expected from this." It would make more sense to keep the channels of communication open.
This afternoon, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy planned to join the meeting via video conference. The member states are likely to assure him of their continued support. However, his country's EU membership remains a distant prospect. The heads of state and government are, however, discussing an 18th package of sanctions against Russia, with which they hope to increase pressure on President Vladimir Putin.
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