German Chancellor Angela Merkel faces a congress of her conservative party on Monday amid tensions over her management of the migrant influx.
Germany has seen about a million migrants arrive this year. Ms. Merkel has insisted that “we will manage it,” but some in her conservative bloc want a tougher approach.
Ms. Merkel has made clear that she wants to reduce the influx but has resisted calls to set a limit on the number of refugees Germany can take, arguing that she would risk making a promise she can’t keep. She stresses instead the importance of a diplomatic solution with Europe and Turkey.
Still, in a motion for the Christian Democratic Union’s two-day conference starting on Monday, leaders made some rhetorical concessions to members worried about Germany’s ability to absorb yet more newcomers without pledging specific further action.
The motion says that the party is determined to “reduce the influx ... appreciably through effective measures.”
It adds that “a continuation of the current influx would in the long term overburden the state and society, even in a country like Germany.”
That was enough to persuade the party’s youth wing to withdraw its own motion calling for a limit on refugee numbers.
Ms. Merkel doesn’t face re-election as party leader at this congress, and despite this year’s tensions still faces no serious rivals.
Asked in an interview with ARD television on Sunday whether this is the most difficult time of her 10-year chancellorship, Ms. Merkel replied that she has faced a series of challenges.
“But this is certainly the most complex question,” she said of the refugee crisis.
