After flinging open the doors and declaring that “refugees are welcome”, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has now stated that she wants to stem the flow of refugees into the European Union.
Chancellor Merkel stated to reporters on Wednesday that “It is very important to me that we achieve both a noticeable reduction in the flow of refugees … and at the same time preserve the free movement of people within the European Union.”
Excuse me? Is this the same Angela Merkel who was awarded Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2015 for her open door policy? Has Merkel’s idealism given way to a more pragmatic, orderly policy on refugee settlement? Or is this merely a cynical political step in the wake of citizen concerns? Only time (not the magazine) will tell.
