German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s chief spokesman said on Friday that his administration has made “visible success” in limiting irregular migration, even if the results remain short of overall goals.
The number of irregular migrants arriving in Germany fell by 30% in 2024 compared to the previous year, while the number of deportations increased by around 20%, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in Berlin.
Hebestreit said that Scholz’s government has a record of notable achievements on the issue despite severe criticism from the opposition.
Migration policy has become a dominant issue in the political campaign ahead of Germany’s election on February 23.
Last week, the centre-right opposition CDU/CSU bloc introduced controversial proposals to tighten migration policy in parliament.
CDU/CSU leader Friedrich Merz, the favourite to replace Scholz after the election, forced votes in the Bundestag, the lower house of Germany’s parliament, with the tacit support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The step was widely seen by critics as a rupture of the long-held taboo in Germany against any form of cooperation with the far right.
Scholz has meanwhile contended that passing legislation to address migration remains possible – if opposition lawmakers back proposals from his minority coalition with Greens.
Hebestreit on Friday pointed to what he said were a whole series of bills being held up by the CDU/CSU in the upper chamber, the Bundesrat.
Scholz’s spokesman said parties that are truly concerned about the issue to see could come together and reach an agreement before the election.
