Germany’s role in the European migrant crisis

In the late summer of 2015, Europe faced a human tide. Millions of people, fleeing war in Syria, terror in Afghanistan, and despair across the Middle East and Africa, were undertaking perilous journeys to reach the continent. The response from European nations was a study in contrasts: fences were erected, borders were closed, and political rhetoric turned sharp. And then, there was Germany.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to effectively suspend the EU’s Dublin Regulation for Syrian refugees and welcome those arriving, encapsulated in her simple, potent phrase “Wir schaffen das” (“We can do this”), became the defining moment of the crisis. It was a gesture that was simultaneously hailed as a monumental act of humanitarian leadership and condemned as a reckless destabilization of the European project. Years later, the echoes of that decision continue to shape German politics, society, and its role in Europe.

This is not just the story of a single policy, but a deep dive into the complex, often contradictory, and profoundly consequential role Germany played in the European migrant crisis. It is a story of moral conviction, political pragmatism, societal strain, and a continent forever changed.

Part I: The Genesis of a Crisis and a German Gambit

To understand Germany’s role, one must first understand the context of 2015. The conflict in Syria had reached a horrific crescendo, with the images of Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old boy washed up on a Turkish beach, searing the human cost of the war into the global consciousness. The Balkan route was teeming with people walking towards what they hoped was safety and dignity.

The European Union was paralyzed by its own rules. The Dublin Regulation stipulated that asylum seekers must apply for protection in the first EU country they enter, placing an overwhelming burden on frontline states like Greece and Italy. These nations were buckling under the strain, and the EU’s collective response was fragmented and ineffective.

Into this vacuum stepped Angela Merkel. Her decision was not taken in a vacuum. It was influenced by several factors:

1. The Munich Precedent: In the preceding weeks, German police had already allowed thousands of refugees stranded in Hungary to enter the country, to widespread public applause. The images of Germans welcoming exhausted arrivals at Munich’s central station with cheers and toys created a powerful, emotional momentum that Merkel felt she could not, and perhaps should not, reverse.
2. A Calculated Humanitarianism: Merkel, the daughter of a pastor and a scientist, operated from a deep-seated sense of ethical responsibility. She famously stated, “The right to political asylum has no upper limit; that goes without saying.” This was a principled stand rooted in Germany’s own history of facing outward migration and its post-war responsibility to protect the persecuted.
3. A Pragmatic Solution to a Practical Problem: With the Balkan route collapsing and people moving anyway, Merkel’s decision was also a pragmatic attempt to manage chaos. By opening the borders in a controlled manner, she aimed to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe on European soil and register the newcomers, rather than have them slip into a desperate, unregulated underground.

The immediate effect was seismic. Over one million people, primarily from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq, entered Germany in 2015-2016. The country had thrown open its doors, and the world was watching.

Part II: The German Response – Mobilizing a Nation

The scale of the challenge was unprecedented in post-war Germany. The national response was a remarkable, albeit chaotic, display of civic mobilization and administrative effort.

• The Willkommenskultur (Welcome Culture): For a period, a genuine wave of volunteerism swept the nation. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary Germans—the Helfer (helpers)—descended on train stations, registration centers, and newly established shelters. They donated clothes, food, and time, offering German lessons and helping with bureaucracy. This grassroots movement was a powerful testament to a modern, confident Germany willing to confront its past with a new, open-faced generosity.
• The Administrative Herculean Task: Mayors and local authorities were on the front lines, tasked with housing, feeding, and processing the influx. Former schools, office buildings, and even a disused airport in Berlin (Tempelhof) were converted into emergency shelters. The system was stretched to its breaking point, with officials working around the clock to manage the logistically nightmarish situation.
• The Political and Financial Commitment: The federal government unleashed billions of euros in funding for the states and municipalities. It fast-tracked legislation to ease integration into the labor market and language courses. The message from the top was clear: this was a national project that required a whole-of-society effort.

For a moment, Germany appeared to be a beacon of liberal values, a nation confidently embracing its role as a global humanitarian power.

Part III: The Backlash – Cracks in the Consensus

The initial euphoria of the Willkommenskultur was short-lived. The immense scale and pace of migration soon exposed deep societal fissures and created a potent political backlash.

1. The Security Question and the Cologne New Year’s Eve Incidents: On New Year’s Eve 2015, the city of Cologne became the epicenter of a national shock. Hundreds of women reported being sexually assaulted and robbed by large groups of men, described as being largely of “North African and Arab appearance.” The event shattered the narrative of harmonious integration. It fueled debates about public safety, cultural differences, and the competence of authorities, who were initially slow to report the events. The crisis was no longer an abstract humanitarian issue; it was now a tangible threat to personal security in the minds of many.
2. The Rise of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD): The migrant crisis was the rocket fuel that propelled the far-right AfD from a fringe eurosceptic party to a major political force. They masterfully channeled public anxieties, framing the influx as an “invasion” that threatened German Leitkultur (leading culture), strained the welfare state, and compromised national security. Their message resonated powerfully, particularly in parts of former East Germany that had received relatively few migrants but felt alienated from the political elite in Berlin. The AfD’s rise shattered Germany’s post-war political consensus and broke the long-standing taboo on far-right politics.
3. Strain on Local Communities and the EU: Despite the massive financial investment, local communities began to feel the strain. Schools struggled to accommodate children without German language skills, social housing became even scarcer, and the bureaucracy was overwhelmed. Internally, Merkel faced growing dissent from her own Bavarian CSU allies, who demanded an upper limit (Obergrenze) on migrant numbers. Externally, Germany’s unilateral action bred deep resentment among EU partners like Hungary and Poland, who saw it as moral imperialism that undermined their own sovereignty and created a “pull factor” for more migration.

“Wir schaffen das” began to sound less like a confident assurance and more like a desperate hope as the political and social costs mounted.

Part IV: The Policy Pivot and the Europeanization of the Problem

Faced with this fierce backlash, the German government, and Merkel herself, executed a dramatic policy pivot. The open-door policy was effectively closed.

• The EU-Turkey Deal (March 2016): Germany was a key architect of this controversial agreement. In exchange for billions in EU aid, visa liberalization, and revived accession talks, Turkey agreed to take back migrants who had crossed illegally to Greece. The deal drastically reduced the number of arrivals via the Aegean Sea, but was widely criticized by human rights groups for outsourcing the EU’s asylum responsibilities to an increasingly authoritarian state.
• Tightening Asylum Laws at Home: Germany rapidly passed a series of laws to restrict immigration. The list of “safe countries of origin” was expanded to include the Western Balkan states, making it easier to swiftly reject and deport asylum seekers from those regions. Benefits were restricted, and family reunification for those with subsidiary protection was suspended for two years.
• Focus on Deportations and Border Control: The government increased its focus on deporting those whose asylum claims had been rejected, and worked to strengthen the EU’s external borders through Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.

The German strategy had shifted from unilateral humanitarianism to a hard-nosed, EU-centric policy of containment and externalization.

Part V: The Enduring Legacy – A Nation Transformed

Nearly a decade on, the legacy of Germany’s role in the migrant crisis is deeply woven into the fabric of the nation.

The Successes:

• Labor Market Integration: Despite initial hurdles, hundreds of thousands of refugees have found jobs and apprenticeships, helping to alleviate Germany’s skilled labor shortage. Companies, particularly in the skilled trades, logistics, and hospitality sectors, have benefited.
• A More Diverse Society: Germany is undeniably a more multicultural country. Syrian restaurants are commonplace, and new voices have enriched German art, music, and literature. In many cities, diversity is now a lived reality.
• A Tested Civil Society: The crisis revealed a deep well of civic engagement and resilience within German society, even if the Willkommenskultur in its 2015 form has faded.

The Ongoing Challenges:

• Political Polarization: The AfD remains a potent and stable force in the German political landscape, consistently polling above 20% in some eastern states. The migrant crisis permanently altered the party system, making coalition-building more difficult and pulling the entire political discourse to the right on issues of identity and migration.
• Integration Realities: Full integration is a generational project. Challenges remain in areas like educational attainment, social housing, and combating parallel societies. The 2015 cohort is a diverse group, with integration outcomes varying widely.
• A Lasting Blueprint for EU Policy: The German-driven model of outsourcing migration control to third countries has become the EU’s default approach, despite ongoing ethical and practical concerns.

Conclusion: A Defining, Ambiguous Chapter

Germany’s role in the European migrant crisis defies simple judgment. It was neither an unalloyed moral triumph nor a catastrophic failure. It was a moment of profound ambiguity that revealed the two souls of modern Germany: the one that remembers its history and feels a duty to protect the vulnerable, and the one that is pragmatic, sovereign, and wary of overwhelming its social systems.

The crisis forced Germany to confront the limits of its humanitarian ambitions and the realities of its leadership role in a fractured Europe. The initial open-door policy was a bold, perhaps naive, gesture that saved countless lives but also unleashed forces that continue to reshape the continent’s politics. The subsequent pivot to a harder line demonstrated the resilience of the German state, but also signaled a retreat from the highest ideals of 2015.

The chapter is not closed. The integration of over a million people is an ongoing story, and the political shockwaves continue to reverberate. Germany’s experience stands as a complex lesson for the world: a testament to the power of compassion and the immense, unforgiving difficulty of managing it on a national scale.