House of Representatives ceremonially welcomes naturalized Berliners
The House of Representatives will welcome new Berliners at a central naturalization ceremony on Thursday. The President of the House of Representatives, Cornelia Seibeld, will welcome the guests in the parliament's ballroom at 6.00 pm. Senator for Culture Joe Chialo will then give a speech. The CDU politician, who was born in Bonn to a family of Tanzanian diplomats, says that he sees himself as both German and African.
As a rule, the districts in Berlin organize the naturalization ceremonies. However, around ten years ago, the House of Representatives decided to welcome newly naturalized Berliners once a year.
In 2022, 8875 foreigners were naturalized as Germans in Berlin. Until now, the districts have been responsible for naturalizations, but from January 2024, the State Office for Immigration will take over centrally. It will then have to deal with a considerable backlog of applications. Last year, SPD politicians had set a target of 20,000 naturalizations per year. However, this figure is not anchored in the coalition agreement between the CDU and SPD.
The House of Representatives ceremony on Thursday will also include discussions about the integration of refugees and migrants, as many of the newly naturalized Berliners are former refugees or migrants. The new policy, starting in 2024, will streamline the naturalization process for immigrants, potentially increasing the number of refugees and migrants eligible for naturalization.
Source: www.dpa.com
