Overview

• At an event in Augsburg, Angela Merkel said integration has advanced significantly, noting employment among male refugees is now close to the general population’s rate.
• She acknowledged misjudgments, including the difficulty of deporting people obliged to leave, along with shortcomings on climate policy, digitalization, and meeting NATO’s 2 percent defense target.
• Merkel described her 2015 stance as seeking a European approach rather than national border hardening and cautioned against ceding narrative control to the AfD.
• In a Münchner Merkur column, Sigmund Gottlieb argued that “Wir schaffen das” did not hold true, claiming Germany faces burdens on municipalities, distributional conflicts, and shaken security perceptions.
• Gottlieb contended Merkel’s legacy aided the AfD’s rise and weakened the Union, crediting the Merz government with breaking from her course.