SPD deputy parliamentary group leader Dirk Wiese wants to learn from the Danish Social Democrats after his party’s election debacle in the European elections. “We should take a very close look at the course of the Nordic Social Democrats,” Wiese told the “Tagesspiegel”.
Not everything there can be implemented or is desirable in Germany one-to-one. “But the Social Democrats there have taken a course in migration policy in particular that has led to them being successful in elections again and, above all, to them keeping radical parties small,” said Wiese.
The spokesman for the conservative Seeheimer Circle in the SPD faction continued: “We in the SPD have to talk about this without blinkers and benefit from these experiences.” For him, that is a matter of course.
At the same time, he criticized statements made by Juso chairman Philipp Türmer after the election. “We cannot, as the Juso leader is now suggesting, keep quiet about problems in order to avoid following right-wing narratives,” warned Wiese. That is the completely wrong conclusion to draw from this election.
Wiese also criticized the way the election results have been dealt with so far. “We cannot now say, after the European elections, that the poor election result was only due to poor communication,” said Wiese. “We need to focus much more on working families, those who get up every morning and keep the country running.” The party takes people’s concerns about immigration very seriously. Most people are in favor of immigration, but want the rule of law to be enforced.
Wiese added: “They have the legitimate expectation that those who do not follow the rules or have no grounds for asylum will have to leave the country.” The SPD must state this more clearly in the future. He also called for more migration agreements to further increase the number of deportations and an end to the general ban on deportations to Afghanistan. “Anyone who commits capital crimes must leave our country.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had suggested in the Bundestag that serious criminals could also be deported to Afghanistan. However, the Taliban have been in power in Kabul since they took power in 2021. The Interior Ministry is currently examining how deportations could still be possible. “Our security interests come first,” said SPD politician Wiese.
Wiese also spoke out in favor of extending controls at the German borders beyond the European Football Championship. “I don’t want to get used to it, because one of the greatest achievements of the European Union is the abolition of barriers,” said Wiese. “For security reasons, however, I believe it is necessary to maintain border controls for a certain period of time beyond the European Championship.”
Until now, border controls were supposed to end immediately after the end of the European Championship on July 19. Wiese justified an extension with the Olympic Games in Paris and illegal migration, among other things: “Also because the Olympic Games are still taking place in France and we also have to see how the number of refugees develops,” Wiese told the “Tagesspiegel”. The Olympic Games begin on July 26 and end on August 22.
Wiese praised the controls at the borders ordered by the Interior Ministry at the beginning of the year. They have led to less irregular migration. In addition, a large number of wanted people with German passports have been caught. “In recent weeks and months, the security authorities have repeatedly succeeded in identifying potential attackers at an early stage and removing them from circulation,” he said.
