Good afternoon! Berlin is still on summer break, and so is our Playbook this week—with the exception of the Playbook Podcast . This week, I met Thorsten Frei on a walk in the government district. In an interview , he shared with me what's on his mind politically.
SUMMER SPECIAL
THE MAN BEHIND MERZ: Thorsten Frei is considered one of Merz's closest chinese overseas australia database confidants and is already being touted as a possible chancellor's office minister. But what motivates the lawyer from the Black Forest?
Asylum reform: Frei advocates for a tough migration policy and calls for a quota solution and the Rwanda model. Frei believes asylum procedures and the granting of protection should take place outside the EU. He names Senegal and Ghana as possible safe third countries.
The deal: In return, Germany could take in around 150,000 to 160,000 particularly vulnerable people each year.
Abolishing the fundamental right to asylum? This must be viewed in a broader context, says Frei. The law is outdated and was created under different circumstances. It is not suitable for today's migration flows. "This simply exceeds our capabilities," says Frei.
MUSIC OF THE FUTURE: If the Union governs in 2025, the party needs coalition partners who are willing to reform asylum and migration policy, says Frei.
Green? No thanks: "We're not ruling anything out fundamentally. But with the Greens—as we see them today—I consider a coalition truly unthinkable," Frei said.
BSW? Better not . On the other hand, the alliance demonstrates its willingness to "make fundamental changes in the area of migration policy, specifically with a view to limiting it." Nevertheless, Frei does not want a coalition with the BSW under any circumstances—especially not because of the party's foreign and security policy stance.