The German parliament is debating motions to tighten migration rules after a deadly attack by a rejected asylum seeker. CDU leader Friedrich Merz says he will not shun the help of the far-right AfD to push them through.

Germany's opposition conservatives won parliamentary approval on Wednesday for a proposal to drastically restrict migration with the help of votes from the Alternative for Germany (AfD), breaking a taboo on cooperation with the far-right.

German lawmakers are set to vote on Wednesday on two motions tabled by the centre-right opposition bloc to significantly tighten the country's migration policy, less than four weeks before Germans head to the polls in national elections.

Friedrich Merz, the frontrunner to become chancellor in February's election, is making waves by agreeing to work with the far-right AfD on immigration rules.