"Over a million refugees came to Germany in 2015, mainly uncontrolled. At that moment, Chancellor [Angela Merkel] opened the borders with Austria. Out of good humanitarian intentions, but unfortunately, without agreement with our colleagues in Europe. If we do not take action now, the situation could repeat itself," Schulz told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.
As the head of the SPD, Schulz is the main Merkel’s main opponent in the run for chancellorship, with the general election set to take place on September 24.
In 2015, Germany declared an open-door refugee policy, becoming one of the key destinations for migrants coming to Europe from the Middle East and North Africa. According to the country's Interior Ministry, over 890,000 refugees arrived in Germany in 2015, with further 280,000 coming next year. The majority of asylum seekers arriving in Germany are from Syria or Afghanistan.
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