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Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz: "A democracy lives from the opportunity to have a say"
Photo: John Macdougall / dpa
Despite resistance within the coalition, Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to lower the legal hurdles for naturalization and actively promote German citizenship among foreigners who have been living in Germany for a long time.
This was announced by the Federal Chancellor and his party colleague, the Federal Government Commissioner for Integration, Reem Alabali-Radovan, in Berlin.
Scholz said: "A democracy thrives on the opportunity to have a say."
It is therefore important that the population and the electorate are not too far apart.
Scholz said that during his time as the first mayor of Hamburg, he was always very touched at naturalization ceremonies.
Regarding the task of citizenship of the country of origin, which has usually been necessary up to now, Scholz said: “I never understood why we insisted on it.”
Simplify the naturalization of the generation of guest workers
The plans for easier naturalization come from the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
Nancy Faeser (SPD) said that it was important to her personally to simplify the naturalization of people from the so-called guest worker generation.
It is also a question of justice for them.
About the Union, which is against dual citizenship as the norm and against the planned shortening of the minimum residence period, Faeser said: "It must finally arrive in the 21st century."
But the plans are now also causing discord within the traffic light coalition.
FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai told the Rheinische Post, which appears in Düsseldorf: "There will be no devaluation of German citizenship with the FDP."
Djir-Sarai said now is "not the time to simplify citizenship law."
So far there has been “no progress whatsoever in returning and combating illegal migration”.
The responsible departments did not even manage to appoint the special representative planned by the coalition.
The traffic light should therefore “not take the second step before the first”.
In addition, the granting of citizenship is “the result of successful integration into German society”.
The FDP General Secretary warned that you should not be at the beginning of the integration process.
In terms of content, he largely agreed with the criticism of the CDU/CSU.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz had previously confirmed his rejection of Faeser's plans for young people to become naturalized.
In the ARD program "Report from Berlin" on Sunday evening, he spoke out against dual citizenship and warned against immigration into the social systems.
SPD leader Esken defends reform plans
SPD leader Saskia Esken also defended the planned reform of citizenship law as a step towards modernizing Germany.
"With this reform of citizenship law, the traffic light will continue to work to shake off the conservative mustiness of this country, and it is not surprising that the Union does not agree for the time being," said Esken after the SPD committee deliberations on Monday in Berlin.
»Performance should also be worthwhile, also in this context.«
The SPD chair emphasized: "Nevertheless, German citizenship is of course still linked to clear criteria and also to years of residence in Germany." Anyone who has a so-called qualified right of residence should in future be able to be naturalized after five years instead of eight years as before .
A reduction to three years should be possible for particularly well-integrated people - such as those with very good German, very good performance at school or volunteer work.
muk/dpa