Chancellor Friedrich Merz was again asked to comment on his controversial recent comments on migration while in London for a West Balkans conference on Wednesday. He said that people with migrant backgrounds were and would remain a crucial component of German society. "Yes, we will also continue to need migration in the future," Merz said. "We can no longer do without them — regardless of where they come from, what color their skin is, and regardless of whether they are the first or second or fourth generation to live and work in Germany." He noted how most were already citizens. However, Merz said, there were problems with individuals without lasting residency status, without employment and who "do not keep to our rules." He said that such people sometimes had an oversized influence on the image of cities, in reference to his contentious use of the German word "Stadtbild," meaning city image or perhaps cityscape. "That's why so many people in Germany and in other countries in the EU — this is not just a German issue — are afraid to move about in public spaces," Merz said, saying this could apply to train stations, subways, car parks or even entire districts, "which are also a cause of big problems for police." He said a broader European strategy to restore public trust in the legal system was necessary and that he would address EU migration and asylum policies at Thursday's EU leaders' summit in Brussels. Meanwhile, Merz's deputy and finance minister — and also his political rival as a leading Social Democrat Lars Klingbeil appeared to criticize Merz's choice of words in a speech to a trade union federation on Wednesday. "I would like to live in a courty in which politics builds bridges and brings society together, rather than dividing with language," Klingbeil said. "And I will also say to you: I'd like to live in a country in which someone's appearance does not decide whether or not they fit in a city's image."