Merz reflects on his urban migration comments in TV Q&A session

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has shown self-criticism in the debate he initiated about the effects of migration on German cities.

"I might have said earlier what I specifically meant by that ... I would do it differently today," he said on public broadcaster ARD on Monday evening during a programme in which he took questions from residents of a town in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

He said there are cities that are "completely neglected."

"That has something to do with what I said. And we need to change that," Merz explained. "And that's why I always say, it's two parts of the same answer. We need migration, we need immigration, the entire medical sector, the care sector, many other areas," said Merz.

The chancellor said he sees what people are achieving, "and without those who come from other countries, it simply doesn't work any more."

"I would like to emphasize this differentiation more strongly," said the conservative politician. "But I believe that anyone who tried to understand it with a bit of goodwill did indeed understand what I meant."

At the same time, Merz stressed again: "Those who want to live in our country must adhere to the rules. And if they don't, they must leave."

Merz had said in October that the federal government is correcting past failures in migration policy and making progress, "but we still have this problem in how our cities look, of course, and that's why the federal interior minister is facilitating and carrying out large-scale deportations."