Seehofer was also in Vienna Thursday, attempting to sell his migration deal with Merkel to Austria’s disgruntled chancellor, Sebastian Kurz.
Merkel has long insisted that European problems can only be fixed with European solutions — but the list of issues on her agenda Thursday reveal the extent to which that position is under attack.
Berlin, 12 p.m local: Merkel meets Orban
Last week, Merkel described migration as a “make or break” issue for Europe. Orban has taken aggressive, unilateral action to reduce migration into Hungary and repeatedly resisted EU-wide efforts.
The last time Orban came to Germany — in January this year — he was invited by Seehofer in his role as head of the CSU, the more conservative sister party of Merkel’s CDU.
His decision in 2015 to take unilateral action put him in conflict with Merkel, who has pushed relentlessly for Europe-wide agreements on migration. And Orban — joined by leaders in Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic, and increasingly in Austria and Italy — has repeatedly resisted bloc-wide efforts to manage new arrivals.
Merkel is now looking to strike a deal with Orban to limit the number of asylum seekers arriving in Germany — a tricky task given several years of chilly relations.
As Merkel argued that the EU cannot become fortress Europe — “we cannot cut ourselves off from humanity” — Orban insisted that Europe must fence itself off and eradicate pull factors.
“I and the chancellor see the world in very different ways,” said Orban, stating the obvious.
As he is someone whose actions frequently threaten that unity, Merkel’s battle will be an uphill one.
Vienna, 1 p.m. local: Seehofer meets Kurz
The Austrian leadership seemed surprised by their role in the agreement, responding with a statement Tuesday morning requesting further clarification and insisting that Austria would “take measures” to protect its southern borders if necessary.
That’s exactly the kind of unilateral action Merkel dislikes — and the threat will concern her.
Seehofer, who was originally pushing for all asylum seekers registered elsewhere to be pushed back at the border, was in Vienna Thursday to repair the damage.
In his previous role as state premier in Bavaria, Seehofer worked closely with the Austrian government and has a good relationship with Kurz, whose form of conservatism (more to the right than Merkel’s) and political priorities — reducing migration and speeding up deportations — align neatly with Seehofer’s.
He perhaps has the best chance of keeping Austria on board with both the specific migration deal and the European project more broadly. That’s a vital task given that Austria has just taken over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU and has signaled an intention to work more closely with the rebellious Visegrad countries.
Berlin, 1.30 p.m. local: Merkel meets May
Ironically, Britain’s departure from the EU (dubbed “Brexit”) is one of the least divisive issues among the remaining member states. At an EU summit last week, Brexit-related issues on the agenda were resolved far more speedily than the migration talks, which continued through the night.
But Brexit remains one of the most potent reminders of dissatisfaction among the bloc’s citizens — and while the threat of other countries following suit has subsided, it hasn’t entirely disappeared.
In her meeting with May, Merkel will have to balance the needs of a post-Brexit Europe with a desire for strong UK-German relations, while keeping the UK within the European fold ahead of the NATO summit.
In fact, Germany’s early departure from the World Cup may hold a silver lining for Merkel — unlike May, she doesn’t have to contemplate the diplomatic ramifications of attending a football match hosted by the nation accused of using a nerve agent against Russian nationals on foreign soil.
Atika Shubert and Nadine Schmidt reported from Berlin and Judith Vonberg wrote in London.
Source : Nbcnewyork