Merkel met Seehofer in her residence with the meeting having lasted for some two hours, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported on Saturday. The outcome of the Merkel-Seehofer negotiations remains unknown.
Seehofer opposes the migration policy of Merkel and proposed to deny entry to the country for migrants without documents or who have already failed to get asylum in Germany. The interior minister believes that Berlin should act unilaterally. At the same time Merkel calls for the common EU solution of the migration issue.
On Thursday, the European Council summit agreed on several aspects of EU migration policy, including the establishment of "regional disembarkation platforms in close cooperation with relevant third countries" and controlled centers in the EU member states. The resettlement or relocation of migrants across the bloc is expected to be done on a voluntary basis amid the lack of consensus.
READ MORE: Over 10 EU Countries Ready to Help Germany in Deporting Migrants – Reports
European countries have been experiencing a severe migration crisis since 2015 due to the influx of thousands of migrants and refugees fleeing crises and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa.
