German coalition heads to meet on migration policy as tensions simmer

The leaders of Germany's three-party coalition will meet in Berlin on Friday to review migration policy amid growing tensions in the country over the issue, reported dpa.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz will host the party and parliamentary group leaders of his own Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Green Party and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP).

All three took a trouncing in elections this month in the states of Bavaria and Hesse, where parties preaching a tougher line on immigration made significant gains.

This included the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), which came third place in Bavaria with nearly 15% of the votes. In Hesse, the AfD boosted its share of votes by 5 percentage points to 18% and became the second-largest party in a western German state for the first time.

Meanwhile, the government recently presented a reform package aimed at limiting illegal immigration and facilitating deportations.

Scholz has called on the conservative opposition and the 16 states to cooperate with his government on migration policy.

This is "an issue where the state must show that it also has things under control," he told an economic conference in Berlin earlier in October.

The states have jointly submitted a comprehensive paper on migration, which is hoped to help reach a broadly acceptable solution at the Minister Presidents' Conference on November 6.

The need for action on migration and asylum policy has been pointed out for months by states and municipalities, which are struggling to accommodate the growing number of people seeking to stay in Germany.