In 2015, former Chancellor Angela Merkel famously proclaimed the slogan “Wir schaffen das!” — “We can do it!” Ten years later, current Chancellor Friedrich Merz openly rejected these words.
“The context in which those words were spoken at the time has now changed. Today, we must openly acknowledge: we couldn’t do it,” he said on July 18 at a press conference in Berlin.
In Germany, recent months have seen a sharp escalation in migration policy:
— Family reunification has been halted
— The possibility of obtaining citizenship within three years has been abolished
— Border controls have been tightened
— Asylum applications have decreased by 43%
According to Merz, this is not the end yet — the journey continues.
