Overview
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz told ARD that asylum numbers have fallen by roughly half since his government took office about seven months ago.
- He said Germany is tightening migration policy further and pointed to EU-level action following talks in Brussels.
- EU interior ministers agreed on stricter asylum procedures with plans to relocate 21,000 people and a €420 million solidarity mechanism.
- Germany, according to the interior minister’s position reported by TASS, will not take additional applicants under the new EU scheme and will not provide financial contributions.
- Die Welt, citing the federal migration agency, reported 106,298 asylum applications in 2025 and a 27% recognition rate, and Merz later said his earlier comments about migration’s effect on city life were poorly phrased after protests and an online petition.