Overview

• The CDU's migration policy proposal, backed by the AfD and FDP, narrowly passed in the Bundestag, marking the first time the CDU accepted AfD support for legislation.
• Critics, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Green Party leaders, have labeled the move a 'taboo break' and a departure from Germany's postwar democratic consensus.
• CDU leader Friedrich Merz defended the decision, rejecting the term 'Brandmauer' and arguing the party did not coordinate with the AfD but merely sought to advance its policy goals.
• Protests erupted across Germany, including demonstrations in Dortmund and Berlin, with activists, political groups, and religious leaders denouncing the perceived normalization of far-right influence.
• Economic Minister Robert Habeck warned that the decision could harm Germany's economy by discouraging skilled workers from staying in or moving to the country.