Germany backs France in its demand for tighter national border protections

Germany is backing the demand of French President Nicolas Sarkozy to give nations of the Schengen borderless zone more independent means to close their national territory “as a last resort.”

Only days ahead of France’s first round of presidential elections, during which illegal immigration is a major issue, Berlin and Paris sent a joint letter to the European Union demanding the “nonnegotiable” right to re-establish national border controls for a month if need be.

During the French election campaign, securing French borders has been a hot topic, especially for right-wing candidates, with government estimates that some 200,000 immigrants enter France each year.

Senior German opposition lawmaker Christine Lambrecht said that the Franco-German “populist proposal ... is nothing more than propaganda for Sarkozy in the French presidential election campaign."

"The German and French interior ministers should drop this right-wing populist discussion and give up the plan quickly,” said Lambrecht, of the center-left Social Democrats. “Possible refugee problems cannot be solved this way.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/germany-backs-france-in-its-demand-for-tighter-national-border-protections/2012/04/20/gIQA1di8UT_story.html

I would say that Nick owes Angela one after this. It may not be enough to keep Nick in office, but she is trying.