Chancellor Angela Merkel's Bavarian allies were expected Monday to decide how far to push in a dispute with the German leader over migration, a conflict that has escalated into a threat to her government.
"I have here in my hands figures from the Germany Ministry of the Interior under Minister Seehofer", reporter John Gizzi said.
Seehofer has been calling for Germany to turn back migrants previously registered as asylum-seekers in other European countries.
Paris and Berlin are racing to bridge the gap between Macron's vision of grand European Union reforms and Chancellor Angela Merkel's more prudent approach by a crunch eurozone summit on June 29.
There is even talk that the 70-year-old conservative alliance between the CSU and Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) could fall apart.
Merkel's handling of the migrant crisis, which has resulted in the arrival of more than 1.6 million people since 2014, is widely blamed for a surge in support for the far-right Alternative for Germany, which entered parliament after a September election.
According to Reuter, the spokesman denied a report in Bild newspaper that Merkel was trying to arrange a special summit on migrant policy, saying such a meeting would be a matter for European Union institutions.
Merkel is seeking a consensus on the issue from neighboring countries.
More than 2,300 children have been taken from their parents since early May, a practice loudly decried by rights groups and U.S. politicians from both main parties.
More news: Gregg Popovich reportedly met with Kawhi LeonardA CSU leadership meeting Monday in Munich is likely to authorize Seehofer to go ahead with his plan - but it's unclear at what point leaders want it to take effect.
She suggested developing new formats, such as an "EU Security Council", and argued that in future decisions on foreign and security policy should be taken by majority vote, in order to increase the speed and effectiveness of the EU's decision making. Or if they had already applied for asylum and been rejected.
How it would be funded was also up for discussion with other eurozone members, said Merkel, suggesting that it could involve regular transfers made by individual countries or a tax on financial transactions.
Underlining the unenviable task ahead for Merkel, Welt daily said, "it would be nearly a miracle if she emerges a victor from the next European Union summit".
Former Bavarian premier Guenther Beckstein suggested on Saturday that one way out might be for Germany to agree to the CSU policy but to implement it only after the EU summit, to give Merkel time to deliver her "European solution".
National contributions and European resources would be used to fund the budget, the leaders said in the declaration.
Seehofer's ultimatum has become one of the biggest challenges to Merkel's authority since she took power almost 13 years ago.
Seehofer and Merkel lead parties that have allied with each other for decades and that have formed the basis for successive Merkel governments since she first came to power in 2005.
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