Latest news with #AssociationofGermanCities
Local Germany
6 days ago
- Politics
- Local Germany
Germany sees record number of foreigners gaining citizenship
Germany recorded its highest number of naturalisations ever in 2024, with at least 249,901 people granted citizenship, up nearly 50,000 on the year before, according to data from 13 states reported by Welt am Sonntag. Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein did not report data. The surge follows major reforms to Germany's citizenship law introduced by the previous SPD-led government, which made naturalisation possible after just five years – and in exceptional cases as little as three. The previous government also legalised dual citizenship for non-EU citizens. In many states, Syrians made up the largest proportion of new citizens, followed by Turkish nationals. In North Rhine-Westphalia alone, more than 24,000 Syrians were naturalised, while the figure was over 9,000 in Bavaria. The number of Turkish citizens obtaining German nationality also spiked, increasing by over 80 percent in one state. Other groups with notable increases included Russian nationals. Despite the controversy over fast-track nationalisations, only a handful of people have been granted citizenship this way, the data reveals. Advertisement READ ALSO: Who will be most affected by move to end fast-track German citizenship? In Berlin, 382 people were made citizens under the fast-track programme, while in Rhineland-Palatinate the figure was 20, Baden-Württemberg 16, and Bremen zero. Take-up may be exceptionally low because requirements to be nationalised this way remain very high, including C1 German and evidence of exceptional professional and personal achievements, which many people struggle to achieve in just three years. Advertisement Many states reported that new citizens had lived in Germany far longer than legally required. Baden-Württemberg reported that the average person nationalised in the state had lived in Germany for 14 years. Still, the CDU-SPD coalition plans to scrap turbo nationalisations . Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the move would eliminate a migration 'pull factor'. TELL US: Are you affected by Germany's plan to scrap fast-track citizenship? However, the broader reforms – including the five-year timeline and dual citizenship – will stay. But the Association of German Cities warned that immigration laws are changing too frequently, overburdening local authorities and causing long processing delays.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Leipzig and Berlin to present Olympic bid plans on May 27
Burkhard Jung, Lord Mayor of the City of Leipzig and Vice President of the Association of German Cities, poses for a photo during the 43rd Annual General Meeting of the Association of German Cities at Messe Hanover. Julian Stratenschulte/dpa The cities of Leipzig and Berlin will present their plans to bid for the 2040 Olympics on May 27, Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung said during a debate in the city council, according to Friday's edition of the Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper. The discussion focused on the Red Bull arena's forecourt and the framework plan for the area around the stadium. A hall for ball games with 5,000 seats is to be built there. Advertisement The existing Quarterback-Immobilien-Arena, home to the handball club SC DHfK Leipzig, is to be expanded to 12,000 seats. The construction of a parking lot and other infrastructure improvements are also planned, and the framework plan has been approved. "We want to get Leipzig ready for big sports events and that also explicitly includes an Olympic bid. For that, we need an infrastructure that already today thinks about the tomorrow," city councillor Christina März was quoted by the newspaper.
