Merkel migrant deal reopens EU deep divisions

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel came under fire Tuesday from EU partners after she agreed to push back migrants in a last-ditch deal to save her fragile government, a move that also threatened to unleash a domino effect of European nations shutting refugees out.In high-stakes crisis talks overnight, Merkel put down a rebellion by Interior Minister Horst Seehofer with an agreement to tighten border controls and set up closed “transit centres” to hold migrants on the Austrian frontier.But the deal, which essentially amounted to an about-turn in Merkel’s liberal refugee policy, immediately sparked resistance from Germany’s neighbours as well as the third member of her shaky coalition, the Social Democratic Party (SPD).Austria vowed to “protect its southern borders” while Italy slammed Berlin for adopting the “wrong attitude that brings no solution” and warned that the plan risked running up against last week’s hard-fought EU deal that sees the bloc working together to curb migrant arrivals. Vienna is “of course not ready to conclude deals that harms Austria,” said Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. “Austria should not have to take on the legacy of a failed welcoming culture that is in Europe linked to some names,” charged the country’s far-right Interior Minister Herbert Kickl, in an attack against Merkel.

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