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German Finance Minister rejects €9 ticket follow-up

Almost 80 percent of Germans would like to see a continuation of low-cost local and regional travel when the €9 travel ticket expires at the end of August, a recent poll showed, but Finance Minister Christian Lindner has rejected this idea so far.

Published: 24 July 2022 19:19 CEST
Deutsche Bahn regional trains leave Munich station
Regional trains of German rail operator Deutsche Bahn leave the main train station in Munich, southern Germany, on March 28, 2022. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP)

A poll carried out by the Kantar institute for Focus news magazine found that 79 percent would like to see a similar state-subsidised ticket once the €9 ticket initiative ends.

This rose to 90 percent in the under-30 age group.

Sixteen percent did not want the initiative – or a similar one – to continue.

With the cut-price ticket set to expire at the end of August, the matter has been a topic of hot debate recently with politicians disagreeing about a follow-up and transport chiefs calling for a short extension.

READ ALSO: Germany’s €9 ticket should be extended by two months, say transport chiefs

Finance Minister Christian Linder has rejected the idea of any subsidised travel tickets continuing beyond August as it is too expensive.

“The €9 ticket is a time-limited measure, just like the tax relief at petrol stations. Therefore, neither a continuation of the petrol station discount nor funds for a follow-up arrangement to the €9 ticket are provided for in the federal budget,” the FDP leader told the Funke media group.

Taxpayers finance the cost of these tickets as they do not cover costs; this means that even those who cannot use them – such as those who live in rural areas less well-served by public transport – also pay for them, he explained.

But Green party head Ricarda Lang saw it differently: “Obviously, the potential for affordable public transport in Germany is huge and the nationwide €9 ticket is a successful model for which we should find a follow-up arrangement – not least from a climate policy point of view,” she told the Tagesspiegel on Sunday.

She said the party would always be ready to talk about getting rid of subsidies that damage the environment and the climate to find the funds for continuing the initiative.

Meanwhile, the €9 ticket is causing difficulties for other transport sectors.

Around half of all coach and long-distance bus companies reported a drop in demand in a quick survey carried out by their own association, the Federal Association of German Bus Companies said, according to German newswire DPA.

Because of the cheap public transport tickets, in June, organisers booked private buses or coaches for class and club trips far less frequently.

Demand from these two key groups fell by more than half on average and by more than two-thirds in a third important customer group – older people.

The €9 tickets were introduced June and are also available in July and August. They allow people to travel across Germany for a month on buses and local trains.

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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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