Debate on naturalization in the Bundestag: “No bargaining, no pull factor”

The traffic light defended its plans for easier naturalization in the Bundestag. Union calls on critics from its own ranks to moderate.

Pleads for “more consideration”: the Hessian Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) Photo: Rainer Unkel/imago

BERLIN taz | The traffic light coalition has plans to facilitate naturalization, defended. “Naturalization is not an act of mercy, it is not a bargain, it is not a pull factor,” said the Minister of State for Integration Reem Alabali-Radovan (SPD) on Thursday during a current hour in the Bundestag. “Naturalisation, that’s the good right of people who get involved here.” Anyone who has lived in Germany for many years should have “all rights in addition to all obligations”. “Democracy thrives on the opportunity to have a say, to vote and to be elected.” It’s not good if the population and the electorate are becoming increasingly apart.”

The current hour had registered the Union, which has sharply criticized the plans of the federal government in the past few days. And sometimes reached deep into the populist moth box. CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt said that the reform would “sell” German citizenship. Domestic politician Stefan Heck (CDU) had declared that the traffic light treated citizenship as “cheap goods like Black Friday”.

On Thursday, domestic politician Andrea Lindholz (CSU) declared that the Union was generally happy when well-integrated migrants wanted to become Germans. However, she rejects shortened deadlines or dual citizenship as the norm. This will not “strengthen but weaken social cohesion,” said Lindholz, referring to possible conflicts of loyalty.

“Isn’t it better if citizens from autocratically governed states give up their citizenship and thus have to make a clear decision in favor of our democratic system?” However, Lindholz has no problem with the existing exception for EU citizens. After all, Germany shares “a common value and legal order” with them.

Rhein: One must formulate more carefully

In the meantime, however, the first Union politicians are calling on their own people to exercise moderation. The Hessian Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) warned that one must “formulate more carefully with regard to people who have integrated here, who have put down roots, who have enriched this country”. He understands “when someone who has fully integrated and obtained citizenship feels insulted and denigrated by the term ‘cheated’,” Rhein told the newspapers of the Bayern media group.

The traffic light coalition agreement states: “We are creating modern citizenship law. In return, we will make multiple citizenship possible and simplify the process of acquiring German citizenship.” Specifically, naturalization should be possible in the future after five years instead of eight, and even after three years in the case of special integration services.

With a view to the generation of former guest workers, there should also be simplifications for people over the age of 67: they do not have to take the naturalization test, and it should also be sufficient for proof of language proficiency if they can communicate verbally in everyday life. Although the project is regulated in detail in the coalition agreement, it also cracks within the coalition – again. On Thursday, Konstantin Kuhle (FDP), domestic policy spokesman for his parliamentary group, said it would be “misguided to mix up the topic of immigration with the topic of naturalization right now”.

FDP continues to stress

On Wednesday, the cabinet had the cornerstones of a new one Skilled Immigration Project decided – a project that is central to the Liberals. However, if one wants to maintain acceptance of migration in society in the long term, then this must be “orderly and rule-based”.

Kuhle was alluding to projects from the coalition agreement for which the FDP was jointly responsible and which have not yet been implemented. These include the “return offensive” for rejected asylum seekers or the migration officer, who, from the Liberals’ point of view, should be primarily responsible for these returns. “More needs to happen here,” said Kuhle in the direction of the federal government.

has content the FDP on the planned reform of citizenship law only mention small things. That’s not surprising, after all, the party even had the plans in its own election manifesto. And so, at the end, Kuhle made it clear that the liberals are definitely in favor of the reform: He finds it “undignified” that people who are third-generation residents of Germany and who pay taxes are still not German citizens. “We will change that.”