Case for German immigration remains strong

London

ANGELA Merkel needs to stick to her guns. The German chancellor's surprise decision on Sept 13 to suspend passportless travel with Austria and re-introduce border controls sounds a retrograde step. But it's also unsurprising, given the tightrope she is walking.

Ms Merkel's late-August decision to lower legal hurdles for Syrian war refugees to apply for asylum in Germany has rightly been applauded. But stopping the enforcement of the European Union's so-called "Dublin rules" that require asylum seekers to register in the first member state they reach has created political and practical problems.