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German conservatives look to tighten migration conditions

The party likely to win national German elections in 2025 unveiled a new policy program Monday. Among other measures, the Christian Democrats are looking to make acknowledgment of Israel’s right to exist and integration into German culture prerequisites for residence and citizenship.

Published: 11 December 2023 16:42 CET
The German conservative CDU's new logo.
The German conservative CDU's new logo. TPhoto: picture alliance/dpa | Kay Nietfeld

The German CDU has released a draft of its new guiding principles, which it’s preparing ahead of federal elections in two years – after having lost power in 2021.

As a draft program, it still could see amendments. But it already signifies a more conservative turn on migration policy than the CDU had under the leadership of previous Chancellor Angela Merkel – who led the CDU for 18 years.

The draft commits the CDU to the German principle of Leitkultur – or “dominant culture”.

“Everyone who wants to live here must recognise our guiding culture without any ifs or buts,” it reads. The CDU says this includes upholding the principles of the German constitution, such as human dignity, rule of law, and the recognition of Israel’s right to exist.

“Only those who commit to our dominant culture can integrate and become German citizens,” it reads. The CDU had recently called for an acknowledgement of Israel’s right to exist to be added to the requirements for someone choosing to take German citizenship.

“Sharia does not belong to Germany,” it read. “Muslims who share our values belong to Germany.”

The CDU also advocates for a compulsory German language test for resident children from the age of four and are looking to tighten up asylum law by putting in an upper limit onto the number of applications Germany will accept every year. The party doesn’t say though, what the limit should be.

State elections: What the results tells us about the future of German politics

Changes to retirement and overtime

The CDU proposes linking retirement age to life expectancy, and awarding people who choose to continue working after hitting retirement age with extra tax benefits.

The party is also looking to get rid of taxes put on any overtime work a person does – encouraging people to work longer hours.

Recent polls see the CDU winning the next election, although it would need to negotiate with at least one other party to be able to govern in a coalition.

READ ALSO: What’s behind Germany’s obsession with roundtable politics talk shows

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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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