Schäuble says German migration policy was a mistake

He was critical of Chancellor Merkel’s decisions

The Germany Minister of Finance, Wolfgang Schäuble criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door policy towards refugees.

 
Schäuble’s remarks, which came after to President Donald Trump’s decision to ban the citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the Unites States.

 
“We politicians are people. We too make mistakes,” Schäuble said in Germany’s Welt am Sonntag, in a reference to German’s migration policy. “But one can at least learn from mistakes.”

 

“In a civil society governed by the rule of law, when we suspect someone is abusing statutory assistance, we must prove that exactly,” said Schäuble adding that individual checks were needed to distinguish persons with genuine needs from swindlers.

 

Known for his off-the-cuff remarks, Schäuble is a frequent critic of the lack of EU unity on how to deal with the issue of refugees coming to Europe.