The conflict between Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil’s SPD over migration has become the newest point of contention within the German government.
What began as a comment on the “cityscapes”—Stadtbild—in Germany and the visible effects of mass immigration has evolved into a political dispute that threatens to further fracture an already fragile coalition.
It all started when Merz, speaking at a conference in London on October 10th, lamented the deterioration of the appearance of German cities due to the presence of undocumented and unemployed migrants. He stressed that security and order in public spaces are essential elements of social coexistence. His observation, supported by a broad majority of public opinion according to polls (and by reality itself), was interpreted by the SPD as a stigmatizing statement against migrants.
In response, a group of Social Democratic MPs led by Adis Ahmetovic (originally spelled as Ahmetović) presented an “Eight-Point Plan for a Social and Inclusive Stadtbild,” which avoids any mention of migration and instead focuses on issues such as urban transport, green spaces, and combating racism—essentially the opposite of what was originally being discussed.
In a symbolic act of defiance, Ahmetovic called on Chancellor Merz to convene a summit at the Chancellery, bringing together mayors and local associations to “redefine urban coexistence.”
The CDU—surprisingly, considering its usual stance of appeasing leftists—has refused to go down that path. “The Chancellor has precisely described what millions of Germans see every day. We don’t need more debates, we need concrete action,” responded Steffen Bilger, parliamentary group leader for the Christian Democrats
Baden-Württemberg’s Interior Minister Manuel Hagel went further, urging the SPD to “learn from the Danish Social Democrats, who understood that without migration control there can be no social cohesion.”
The background of the conflict goes beyond words and reveals two different Germanys: one that acknowledges the erosion of public order and integration as a real problem, and another that prefers to avoid any link between migration and security so as not to “fuel” support for Alternative für Deutschland (AfD).
The result is a divided government and a public increasingly detached from its leaders. Jens Spahn, one of the CDU’s heavyweights, summed up popular sentiment: “The Chancellor said what many are thinking. Pretending there’s no problem won’t make it go away.”
Javier Villamor is a Spanish journalist and analyst. Based in Brussels, he covers NATO and EU affairs at europeanconservative.com. Javier has over 17 years of experience in international politics, defense, and security. He also works as a consultant providing strategic insights into global affairs and geopolitical dynamics.
