Jessica Parker
@MarkerJParker
Followers
15K
Following
2K
Statuses
13K
Berlin Correspondent 🇩🇪 @BBCNews 🇬🇧, covering Germany & Europe. Formerly Westminster, Brussels & Washington DC.
Berlin, Germany
Joined April 2009
German conservative CDU leader Friedrich Merz's controversial immigration crackdown bill has NOT passed in the German parliament. 338 MPs voted for, 350 MPs voted against - via @damienmcguin
2
15
18
Political intrigue in the Bundestag. A debate on immigration law proposals has been delayed - amid uproar about potential reliance on AfD votes. CDU appears to be holding talks on whether the legislation should be voted on today or sent back to committee.
1
0
1
🔥 Angela Merkel has spoken out 🔥 With just weeks to go until the election, she criticizes her successor Friedrich Merz - after his actions led to a crack in the firewall against the far right.
2
4
9
Striking gamble by Friedrich Merz. Apparently not a man to go for the: "I'm ahead in the polls, keep clear of controversy" strategy.
Whether a crack or a crumble - Germany's "firewall" against the far right has taken a hit. Parliament's passed a motion calling for tougher immigration rules - with AfD support. The plans were tabled by the CDU's Friedrich Merz, tipped to be the nation's next Chancellor.
2
5
26
Whether a crack or a crumble - Germany's "firewall" against the far right has taken a hit. Parliament's passed a motion calling for tougher immigration rules - with AfD support. The plans were tabled by the CDU's Friedrich Merz, tipped to be the nation's next Chancellor.
1
4
6
Stormy debate in German parliament as the CDU's Friedrich Merz flirts with accepting AfD support in his push for tighter immigration rules. "A correct decision does not become wrong just because the wrong people agree." Chllr Scholz says it would be an "unforgivable mistake."
0
3
6
“I stood & watched helplessly as little girls from the nearby barrack were marched away crying to the gas chamber… they too became ashes.” Holocaust survivor, Tova Friedman. It was an honour to report from Auschwitz yesterday & hear from some of the last survivors.
1
1
12
Donald Trump laments "cumbersome" EU bureaucracy as he addresses the World Economic Forum in Davos. Brussels needs to "speed" things up says the US President. "I'm trying to be constructive."
1
3
1
The UK really wants to "cooperate" with the EU again - the impression Friedrich Merz says he's had from Keir Starmer. Also, some Macronian language from the possible future German Chllr. Merz says there needs to be something in between full EU membership & no membership at all.
2
1
7
The man regarded as Germany's most likely next Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, again shies away from going beyond a 2% defence spending target. He argues that Germany must get more bang for its buck & prioritise hitting 2% sustainably. How will that go down with Donald Trump?
2
2
2
CDU leader seeks to strike an upbeat tone about the US and Trump. He says it's a chance for Europe to strengthen itself while warning against a "spiral of tariffs".
0
0
0
In Germany, both the SPD's Olaf Scholz and CDU's Friedrich Merz have quickly shifted & hardened their stance on migration after yesterday's knife attack in Aschaffenburg, where the suspect is an Afghan asylum seeker. This is set to be an immigration & economy election.
0
2
4
The frontrunner to be Germany's next Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, calls for permanent controls on the country's border in an attempt to stop illegal immigration. Unclear how this will work alongside EU law but Merz says European rules are "dysfunctional."
Merz kündigt nach Aschaffenburg „ein faktisches Einreiseverbot“ für illegale Migranten an: „Das Maß ist endgültig voll.“ Am 1. Tag als Kanzler werde er anweisen, alle Grenzen „dauerhaft zu kontrollieren“ und „ausnahmslos alle Versuche der illegalen Einreise zurückzuweisen“.
0
3
2