Minister Presidents present the results of their consultations

The Minister Presidents of the federal states are continuing their consultations in Leipzig today. The annual conference will focus on additional measures in migration policy and the reform of public broadcasting. The heads of government disagreed on both topics at the beginning of their meeting. At midday, Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU) and his Lower Saxony counterpart Stephan Weil (SPD) will present the agreements reached at the Minister Presidents' Conference.

The CDU/CSU-led federal states are pushing for a tougher approach to migration policy. Bavaria's Minister President Markus Söder (CSU) emphasized in Leipzig that a "real migration turnaround" is necessary. "That means we need to send people back. If refoulement does not take place, then we will not do justice to the situation." Asylum law must also be adapted - if necessary at European level. In addition, more deportations need to be organized.

"We won't get anywhere if we only take baby steps. We need a decisive breakthrough on the migration issue this year," NRW Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) told the "Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung" newspaper.

In contrast, Lower Saxony's head of government Weil accused the CDU/CSU of being in election campaign mode far too early on the issue of migration. He emphasized that the discussions should be conducted in accordance with current law. The introduction of an upper limit for refugees, as repeatedly proposed by Saxony's CDU Prime Minister Kretschmer, should be seen in this context: "This is simply not possible under the conditions of current law."

Agreement on broadcasting contribution questionable

When discussing the future of public broadcasting, the heads of the federal states emphasized that reforms must be implemented. "I see a great deal of agreement that we should reform public broadcasting," said Weil. Although this would reduce the range of services on offer, it would probably also make them "more targeted".

On the other hand, it was unclear whether the state premiers could agree on an increase in the broadcasting fee. An increase of 58 cents to 18.94 euros per month from January is on the table. While states with large broadcasters spoke out against higher broadcasting fees, states with small broadcasters such as Saarländischer Rundfunk pointed out the need for funding.

Protest against planned cuts

The debates surrounding public broadcasting are accompanied by protests. On Thursday, musicians demonstrated at the conference venue in Leipzig, in particular against the planned merger of the television channels 3sat and Arte. The campaign organization Campact has announced further protests for Friday.