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Six reasons why Germany really needs a new government

It is over three months since Germany has had a government. This is having an impact on sports, universities, the police and much more.

Published: 10 January 2018 17:17 CET
Six reasons why Germany really needs a new government
Photo: DPA

The Christian Union (CDU/CSU) and Social Democrats (SPD) are taking small steps towards reforming a “grand coalition” – the same government Germany has had since 2013. But by the time a “GroKo” is formed – if indeed it comes to that – it could be March.

Who cares? you might say. The economy is still booming. Perhaps Germany can get on just fine without Angela Merkel and her colleagues meddling in people's affairs.

But it's not that simple.

No new federal budget can be approved before the country has a new government. As long as this is the case, provisional budgetary management will continue to apply, and this sets limits on the Federal Government. And the impact will be felt all the way from sports to universities.

Top class sport

During their last stint in office the grand coalition of SPD and CDU/CSU pledged significantly more money for top-class sport, but this promise has not yet been honoured. So far only subsidies on the level set in 2017 are available. Additional measures such as training camps to prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games are yet to be approved. Meanwhile, the final decision on the planned new national sports training centres has not yet been made due to the open situation in Berlin.

Policing

Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière (CDU) pointed out in November that promised new jobs in the police service can only be created with a new budget. Furthermore new training capacities need to be set up to cope with an increase in police recruits. Ministry spokesman Johannes Dimroth recently said that “it is quite clear that the fact that we are in the provisional financial management phase will have a greater impact here and that the longer this process lasts, the more difficult it will be.”

Infrastructure projects

The lack of a new government means that key decisions cannot be made on infrastructure projects. The Federal Association of German Industry (BDI) and the German Construction Industry Association have both said that a lack of political leadership will delay investment in traffic routes, the broadband network and energy networks.

Europe

Without an effective government in Germany, a lot of things are also hanging in the air in the EU. According to Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger, negotiations on the multi-billion euro EU financial framework for the next decade are to begin as early as the second half of the year. French President Emmanuel Macron is still waiting for a response from Germany to his autumn reform proposals, including a separate eurozone budget and a European Finance Minister.

Military deployments

Seven foreign deployments of the Bundeswehr are currently pending, including the NATO mission in Afghanistan and participation in the fight against Isis. The mandates of the missions are set to expire, which is why the Bundestag extended all seven missions by three months in December to provide security for soldiers and allies. But no decision was made on troops, orientation and mission. The discussion will be back on the table at the end of March.

Research

Institutions that depend on funding have complained that the absence of a government is holding up funds.

“It is not only the approval of projects that is delayed,” Hugo Hämmerle, spokesman for the Innovation Alliance in Baden-Württemberg, told DPA. “These are excellent projects that have been positively assessed and promised since June 2017 – but we cannot go any further because the funds cannot be released. This is making it impossible to finance highly qualified personnel.”

The Association of Universities of Applied Sciences is also getting impatient.

“Universities are waiting for solid basic funding that will enable them to improve their quality while retaining a high number of students,” they said in a statement.

For members

GERMAN CITIZENSHIP

German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

Foreigners in Germany are waiting on tenterhooks for the introduction of the new dual nationality law on Thursday - but the centre-right CDU and CSU say they would overturn the reform if re-elected next year.

Published: 25 June 2024 12:06 CEST
German conservatives vow to overturn dual citizenship if re-elected

“The CDU and CSU will reverse this unsuccessful reform,” Alexander Throm (CDU), spokesperson on domestic policy for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, told DPA on Tuesday.

“Dual citizenship must remain the exception and be limited to countries that share our values.”

Throm also criticised the new citizenship law for reducing the amount of time foreigners need to live in the country before naturalising as Germans, describing the new residence requirements as “far too short”.

“After five or even three years, it is not yet possible to determine with certainty whether integration has been successful in the long term,” he stated.

“The recent caliphate demonstrations and the rampant Islamist extremism, often by people with German passports, must be a wake-up call for us all.”

READ ALSO: Which foreign residents are likely to become German after citizenship law change?

Despite vociferous opposition, the alliance between the Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party (CSU) was powerless to stop the traffic-light coalition’s citizenship reform passing in both the Bundestag and Bundesrat earlier this year. 

The reform, which permits the holding of multiple passports, lowers residence requirements and removes language hurdles for certain groups, is set to come into force on June 27th. 

But with the CDU and CSU emerging as clear winners in the recent EU parliamentary elections and regularly landing on 30 percent or above in the polls, it’s possible that the party could be on course to re-enter government next year. 

In this situation, the centre-right parties have pledged to try and undo what senior CDU politicians have described as a “dangerous” reform.

“It is not unusual for successive governments to reverse decisions made by the previous government,” Andrea Lindholz, the head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group said in a recent response to a question. 

“We will maintain our position on this and will continue to strive for a corresponding change.”

READ ALSO: What are citizenship offices around Germany doing to prepare for the new law?

Whether the CDU and CSU can secure enough votes at both state and federal elections to change the law in the future remains to be seen.

The parties may also have to compromise on their plans with any future coalition partner, such as the Greens, Social Democrats (SPD) or Free Democrats (FDP), all of whom support liberal immigration laws and the holding of multiple nationalities. 

‘Citizenship devaluation law’

The CDU and CSU parties, which form a centre-right alliance nicknamed the Union, have long been opposed to dual nationality in Germany.

During their years of governing in a so-called grand coalition with the centre-right Social Democrats (SPD), the parties had regularly made reforms of citizenship one of their red lines, citing the danger of hostile nations influencing Germany from within. 

In a recent parliamentary speech back in January, Throm had slammed the bill as a “citizenship devaluation law” and accused the government of trying to generate a new electorate to win votes.

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag

CDU politician Alexander Throm speaks in a debate in the German Bundestag. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder

In comments aimed primarily at Germany’s large Turkish diaspora, the CDU politician claimed that people who had lived in Germany for decades but not taken German citizenship had already chosen their old country over Germany.

The majority of Turks in Germany are also supporters of the authoritarian president Recep Erdogan, he argued.

Responding to the claims, FDP migration expert Ann-Veruschka Jurisch said the opposition was fuelling resentments against migrants by claiming the government was “squandering German citizenship”.

In fact, she argued, the reform has tightened up requirements by ensuring that people who claim benefits and cannot support themselves are unable to become German citizens.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about Germany’s citizenship law reform

In addition, the B1 language requirements have only been softened in a few exceptional cases, for example to honour the lifetime achievements of the guest worker generation who had few opportunities when they arrived, Jurisch said. 

If foreigners have committed crimes, the authorities will be able to investigate whether these involved racist or anti-Semitic motives before citizenship is granted, she added. 

With reporting by DPA

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