The CDU party chief, who leads in the polls to become the next chancellor, said he would collect votes from all parties to push his five-point migration plan through parliament despite Chancellor Olaf Scholz's strong opposition.

Germany's conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz, frontrunner in polls to become the next chancellor, on Tuesday urged a united European stance in talks with US President Donald Trump. Merz also said Germany needed to get Poland "at the table as fast as possible" and praised Meloni of the post-fascist Brothers of Italy party,

German opposition conservative leader Friedrich Merz said he regrets that plans to reject more asylum seekers at Germany's borders may have passed in parliament on Wednesday with the help of votes from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).