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1/20/16

Switzerland: Migration takes center stage in Davos

Europe's refugee crisis has been a hot topic in Davos, where German President Joachim Gauck hinted at a shift in Germany's open-door policy. He said limiting refugee numbers could be necessary and not 'per se unethical.' 

Germany's president is well aware that his office is largely ceremonial and does not come with real power.
So it was to be expected that his speech in Davos, entitled "Hoping for Prosperity: Reflections on Flight and Migration to Europe," was more an attempt to explain the current situation than announce something new.

But with Chancellor Angela Merkel under increased pressure to limit the influx of migrants to Germany, Gauck did prepare the ground for just that.

"A strategy to limit immigration can be politically and morally necessary, to ensure the government does not lose its power to act, and to ensure that the majority of the population do not lose their willingness to welcome the refugees in a humane way," Gauck said in Davos. "Thus, a limit is not per se unethical, because it helps to maintain acceptance of migrants."

Read more: Migration takes center stage in Davos | Business | DW.COM | 20.01.2016

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