Daniel Kopatsch / EPA
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Former German Chancellor recently warned of the rise of nationalism in Europe. And he admits that the decision to welcome refugees in 2015 boosted the AfD, the far-right party that currently leads polls in the country.
One of the most enduring post-war democratic leaders, the former German Federal Chancellor, acknowledged that her decision to keep the country’s doors open during the 2015 refugee crisis boosted the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
The party, which elected the second-largest group in Parliament in 2025 and today openly promotes the “” of unwanted citizens — an agenda that has put the AfD on a collision course with the German Constitution —, currently leads all voting intention polls.
“Of course, my decision contributed to the AfD voting intention rising again”, admitted Merkel, in an interview published in this Sunday’s edition of the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine.
Although she recognized “problems with illegal migration”, the former chancellor argued that it would have been “useless” to try to stop refugees by force. And he highlighted that, when he left the Government, in 2021, voting intentions for the AfD fluctuated between 10% and 11%. Today, this figure reaches 29% — and is a considerable distance from the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) bloc, once led by Merkel and today under the leadership of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, her rival.
“I think that the internal fight in the Union against my decision was not exactly useful in containing the AfD”, said Merkel.
“We can’t allow this, it doesn’t end well”
Merkel, who governed Germany for 16 years, between 2005 and 2021, said that other parties should not let the AfD dictate the tone and themes of their agendas. And he warned of the rise of nationalism in Europe and Germany as a response to the challenges of globalization.
“We cannot allow this. We know this from history. This does not end well”, he said, in a statement that sounded like a veiled reference to Nazi Germany.
“Nobody forced him to do this work”
At the same time, the former chancellor recognized that the current German Government, led by Merz, does not have an easy task.
“How can all problems be resolved at a time when the United States is adopting a completely new policy towards Europe, when there is a war between Ukraine and Russia, when technological transformations, especially artificial intelligence, are advancing in the lives of all of us?”, asked the former chancellor.
Still, Merkel does not seem to sympathize with her party colleague, who recently complained about being the most hostile German head of government on social media.
“I was always guided by Helmut Kohl,” he said, citing the political godfather and former Federal Chancellor who governed Germany between 1982 and 1998. “He said that no one forced him to do this work.”
Over the weekend, Merz invoked Merkel’s famous phrase uttered during the 2015 refugee crisis to motivate his supporters to move forward with the reforms planned for the social security system.
“We will do it, we can do it, if we all stand together and believe in each other again,” he said, at a party event in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Do you think Merz is right and that his government will be able to pass the reforms? “Yes,” Merkel replied, laconic.
‘Mea culpa’ on the role of Europeans in NATO
The former chancellor also said that European NATO countries have not done enough to rearm in the last 12 years or so, which she called a clear failure. The statement echoes a recurring criticism from United States President Donald Trump, who leads the military alliance.
In 2014, member countries committed to dedicating 2% of their Gross Domestic Product to defense — a promise that most Europeans would only fulfill many years later, in 2024.
“Looking back, we weren’t fast enough,” admitted Merkel. “That was already irritating President Trump at that time. We had a soft spot.”
Merkel herself lived with Trump during his first stint in the White House, between 2017 and 2021. And she explains his “difficult” style of governance: “He cannot imagine that, in politics, not just one side, but both sides can win. It may have to do with his career as a real estate businessman […]. ‘A piece of land can only belong to one person. When someone else gets it, I lost.’”
