Söder and Habeck: The dispute over migration cooks over!

Söder and Habeck: The dispute over migration cooks over!

On March 5, 2025, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder called for a drastic limitation of illegal migration and made this a condition for future coalition negotiations. As the vienna.at reported, clarified that such a limitation should not affect legal immigration, especially for labor. In the presence of Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the governor of Lower Austria, he explained that only through close cooperation between Bavaria and Austria could an effective change in European migration and asylum policy be achieved. This happened during his visit in Passau, where he emphasized the need for a solid and common course in migration policy.

On the other hand, Robert Habeck from the Greens, who is currently considered one of the most influential politicians in Germany, is encouraged after the recent occupation of important positions in the government, to bring together the challenges of migration and climate change. According to Wikipedia Habeck was always for an open and integrative society, but also emphasized the need for responsible use of international agreements and the requirements of the population, especially with regard to the labor market. He recognized the urgency to counteract the shortage of skilled workers and called for a rethink in the immigration laws.

The tensions between Söder and Habeck are clearly shown in their different approaches to migration policy. Söder opposes a disproportionate admission of refugees, while Habeck, despite his previous reviews of identity policy, has pleaded for an integrative concept and it is necessary to consider that Germany becomes more attractive for qualified workers from abroad. It remains to be seen how these different political ideas will affect future coalition negotiations and what influence they have on German and Austrian politics.