2024-08-02 07:21:44
The law on simplifying the process of obtaining citizenship that recently came into force in Germany devalues the German passport. This opinion was expressed in an interview with the newspaper Bild by the deputy chair of the parliamentary bloc CDU/CSU Andrea Lindholz, Day.Az reports with reference to TASS.
“The figures show that the ruling Traffic Light coalition has devalued the German passport to some extent. Turbo immigration and dual passports are a mistake. The rule should be: first full integration, then the German passport,” she said. She was supported by the first parliamentary secretary of the CDU/CSU faction, Thorsten Frey.
“It is important that citizenship is the final point of successful integration. Given the significantly reduced waiting time, this is no longer possible under the citizenship law. The general recognition of multiple citizenship is pure ideology and will not contribute to integration – quite the opposite,” the politician said.
As Bild writes, in Germany, after the law on simplifying the acquisition of citizenship came into force, a record increase in applications for a German passport has been recorded. In the federal states and individual cities, the number of applications has increased sharply. In Munich, for example, the number of applications is expected to quadruple, and in Stuttgart, to double. In Hesse, 3.3 thousand applications were submitted in the first month of the law, which is 27% more than in July 2023. In Hamburg, the number of applications increased from 1,153 to 2,031 over the same period (an increase of 76%).
In Bremen, the number rose from 2,444 to 3,450 (an increase of 41%). In July, the state of Schleswig-Holstein reported 1,193 applications (865 in the previous year, an increase of 38%). The sharpest increase of all federal states was recorded in Berlin. From June 27 to July 21, the regional immigration office reported 5,000 applications. Last year, there were 1,707. In the city of Essen (North Rhine-Westphalia), which has a large migrant population, the figure rose by 213% (from 150 to 469).
In January, the Bundestag (German parliament) approved a bill to simplify the process of obtaining citizenship, previously proposed by the Traffic Light coalition consisting of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, the Greens and the Free Democratic Party. It implies that all people who have already lived in the country for several years, worked and paid taxes there, can become German citizens in a simplified manner. Instead of eight years, as it was until now, citizenship can be obtained after five years of residence in Germany, and in the case of “special integration achievements” this will be possible even after three years. In addition, applicants for citizenship will not have to renounce the passport of the country from which they came. The law came into force on June 27.
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