Facilitated naturalization will no longer be decided in 2023

Migration - Facilitated naturalization will no longer be decided in 2023

The traffic light coalition will have to postpone the finalization of some of the interior and migration policy projects originally planned for 2023 until next year.

As the Deutsche Presse-Agentur learned from coalition circles, the attempt to put the final consultation and vote on the reform of the citizenship law and the so-called Return Improvement Act on the Bundestag agenda failed this week. This is mainly due to the fact that the FDP is resisting the amendment requests of its two coalition partners.

The state premiers had expressed clear expectations regarding more control and order in migration issues, said FDP parliamentary group deputy leader Konstantin Kuhle. This applies, for example, with regard to an extension of the exit detention system and a reduction in social benefits. He emphasized: "The FDP is not available to water down the expectations of the federal states and municipalities."

These are the requirements

According to the federal government's draft law, immigrants will be able to become citizens after five years of residence in Germany, provided they can support themselves without state assistance. Previously, they had to live in the country for at least eight years. If they perform well at school or at work, have good language skills or are involved in voluntary work, naturalization should be possible after just three years.

Anyone who wants a German passport should no longer have to give up their old one. This already applies to EU citizens and some special cases, but not to people from Turkey, for example.

By simplifying procedures, Ampel also wants to ensure that deportations no longer fail so often at the last minute, for example because the person concerned cannot be found. The maximum duration of detention pending deportation is to be extended from ten days to 28 days. Representatives of the authorities should also be allowed to enter rooms other than the deportee's room in shared accommodation.

Need for improvements

In the first debate on both bills, the Greens called for improvements. For example, they called for exceptions to be made so that disabled people and people who have become unemployed through no fault of their own could be naturalized even if they were claiming social benefits.

According to its interior politician Hakan Demir, the SPD also wants to ensure that people with disabilities, family carers and single parents are not disadvantaged because they are unable to earn a living. "Negotiations on the naturalization reform must continue," said the Berlin member of the Bundestag.

The FDP wants to "align citizenship law more closely with economic integration and strengthen the criterion of securing a livelihood", said parliamentary group deputy Kuhle. This would make Germany attractive as an immigration country. She will stick to this principle.

"The Greens have still not arrived in reality, they are paralysing the entire country with their maximum demands," said Alexander Throm, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group's domestic policy spokesperson, criticizing the controversy surrounding immigration and simplified deportations. "The deportation law must be withdrawn in its entirety," demanded Clara Bünger (Left Party).

Facts and figures

In the first ten months of this year, 24,704 deportations failed before being handed over to the federal police, according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. In the same period, 13,512 people were deported, it said. In 2022 as a whole, 20,106 deportations failed - for various reasons - before the people concerned could be handed over to the federal police. According to the figures, 12,945 deportations took place in the same period.

In the internal talks between the coalition partners, the Greens had reportedly proposed that foreigners be assigned a public defender in all cases of detention pending deportation or custody pending departure. The opposition of the FDP, whose specialist politicians initially refused to comment on this proposal, is probably less strong.

However, whether this change will come about is still completely open - also because the federal states could possibly be faced with legal fees. This could result in the proposed legislation requiring approval in the Bundesrat, i.e. it could be stopped by the chamber of the federal states.

Beyond migration policy, the traffic light plans for a new Federal Police Act and the so-called quick freeze procedure for securing IP addresses of suspected criminals have also been on the back burner for months. Both projects have yet to be referred to the cabinet because an agreement between Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) and Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) has yet to be reached.