The right wing of Germany's ruling coalition intends to issue an ultimatum to Chancellor Angela Merkel to end the entry of refugees and immigrants into the country. This is an agreement that, if not concluded, could plunge the country into a political crisis.
"This is the day that the fate of Angela Merkel and the government is decided," writes the Bild newspaper.
The "mistakes" of the past
More than one million asylum seekers arrived in Germany in 2015 and 2016, which caused a political shock in the country.
Risk of collapse
The CSU wants to impose its terms on national immigration policy. Its aim: to prevent refugees and immigrants already registered in another EU country from entering Germany.
The centrist chancellor refuses. He fears it will only cause chaos and complicate the chances of finding a common European solution to the issue, as the EU discusses adopting a system for allocating asylum seekers.
But the CSU, which is preparing for a tough election in Bavaria in October, has no patience. He blames Merkel and the CDU for laxity.
The CSU presidency is meeting in Munich this morning to authorize President Horst Seehofer, who is also federal interior minister, to bypass Merkel and enforce deportations at the border by decree.
If it does, the chancellor will have no choice but to fire him, which could lead to the collapse of the ruling coalition just three months after its formation and possibly elections.
But now Seehofer appears willing to give the chancellor two weeks to meet the EU summit in late June to negotiate an agreement on the repatriation of migrants. If it does not, a crisis will break out.
Horst Seehofer, article in FAZ
"It is vital that the EU summit finally takes decisions at the end of June. The situation is serious, but it can still be resolved. "
"No one in the CSU wants to oust the chancellor or the government," Seehofer said on Sunday.
The German chancellor will meet on Monday with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, while on Tuesday she will talk with French President Emanuel Macron in an explosive scene in Europe, after the tension with the Aquarius ship.
An extraordinary meeting of European leaders on immigration is not ruled out before the end of the month.
Angela Merkel is under even more pressure as her popularity declines, while the far right seems to be on the rise in opinion polls.