German parliament suspends law restricting refugee family intake

As part of ongoing coalition talks, a new law has been introduced to limit the number of migrants allowed to settle in Germany to 1,000 per month.

Acting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, leader of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) Horst Seehofer and Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Martin Schulz pose for a photo at a news conference after exploratory talks about forming a new coalition government at the SPD headquarters in Berlin, Germany on January 12, 2018.
Reuters

Acting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, leader of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) Horst Seehofer and Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Martin Schulz pose for a photo at a news conference after exploratory talks about forming a new coalition government at the SPD headquarters in Berlin, Germany on January 12, 2018.

Germany's parliament on Thursday suspended a law restricting refugees from bringing family members to the country. 

The controversial issue has been one of the key sticking points in ongoing coalition negotiations.

Instead a new law has been introduced to limit the number of migrants allowed to settle in Germany to 1,000 per month, except in special cases.

TRT World's Ira Spitzer reports from Berlin.

Loading...

The move deals a blow to refugees who have been waiting for years to be reunited with their families.

However, it could mean some refugees will have to wait more than four years to reunite with their families, a policy some see as unnecessarily harsh, and possibly illegal. 

Germany has taken in far more people refugees than any other European country. 

But the refugee influx led to the emergence of the far-right AFD party, putting pressure on established parties. 

The family reunification issue has become the latest battleground. 

Route 6