Ten years after Germany opened its borders to hundreds of thousands of mostly Syrian refugees, leading Austrian politicians have branded Angela Merkel’s 2015 decision a historic mistake.
Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker and former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz both argue that Merkel’s ‘open doors’ approach created lasting problems for Europe that are still unresolved today.
Stocker, reflecting on the so-called refugee summer of 2015, said in an interview with daily Kronen Zeitung: “Opening the borders was a mistake.”
He insisted that while humanitarian considerations matter, Austria cannot accept a system in which asylum is used as a cover for economic migration. “What does not work is that someone comes to us and says asylum, but really means social benefits,” Stocker warned, pledging that such a policy would never be repeated in Vienna.
Kurz, who at the time was minister of foreign affairs, went even further. In a television interview, he said unlimited immigration was doomed to fail, praising Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s hard-line stance as “simply right” at the time.
What I and others were accused of as being far-right back then has thankfully become mainstream among many politicians today.
According to Kurz, the EU’s loss of control over its external borders in 2015 undermined the Schengen system and sent a powerful signal that encouraged further migration flows. Only if Europe protects its external borders, can it remain open within, he argued.
Kurz also highlighted the strain on Europe’s welfare states, and said politicians must acknowledge uncomfortable demographic realities, such as the increase of the number of Muslim pupils in Austrian schools.
By contrast, Merkel has continued to defend her decision of 2015. Speaking at a recent event, the former German chancellor recalled her now-infamous phrase “Wir schaffen das” (“We can manage this”). She maintained that millions of arrivals had not only been accommodated but had also found work in Germany.
Yet she admitted she had underestimated the challenges of deporting failed asylum seekers. Asked whether she regretted the decision, Merkel replied: “Should we have stood at the border with water cannons?”
Public opinion in Germany, however, tells a different story, with a new poll revealing deep divisions.
Only 21% of respondents believe Germany managed the inflow of nearly 1.5 million refugees between 2015 and 2020 well or very well. By contrast, 41% say the country coped poorly, while 37% think it did not cope at all.
Roughly half of those surveyed report ongoing problems in their towns and neighbourhoods linked to the migration wave.
The political fallout is equally stark. Half of Germans believe the rise of the right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party is a direct consequence of Merkel’s migration policy.
