'Serious politics': Scholz backs government's migration policies

euronews (in English)

The chancellor stressed that many people from other countries have helped the economy but added that the government must be able to choose who comes to Germany.

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00:00German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rolled his sleeves up for a passionate speech in the German Parliament on Wednesday morning.

00:07Scholz underlined the public's wish for serious politics rather than a theatrical performance

00:13after talks about migration with opposition party CDU collapsed on Tuesday.

00:18Scholz added that many people from other countries have helped the German economy

00:23but stressed that the government must be able to choose exactly who comes to Germany.

00:28Because this is so important, I would like to say that we are still ready.

00:34The door is not closed. We would do it with him.

00:37Addressing the recent success of anti-immigration far-right party Alternative for Germany, AfD,

00:42during the two recent East German state elections,

00:45Scholz said that the AfD party is married to the past and trying to rob Germany of its future.

00:51Leadership is not to climb on a barricade and raise demands with a wild gesture.

00:56Leadership is to turn around and be able to move your own people to a compromise.

01:01That is leadership, Ms. Merz.

01:04Although Chancellor Scholz aggressively defended his coalition government's policy to welcome migrants,

01:11other EU countries, such as Poland, say the German government's decision this week

01:16to extend spot controls to all its land borders undermines Europe's Schengen Agreement

01:22and could destabilise the EU as a whole.

01:25Liv Stroud, in Berlin, for Euronews.

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