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Local Germany
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Local Germany
INTERVIEW: 'Don't let fear deter you from new life in Germany,' minister urges
A decade ago in 2015, as the civil war in Syria grew into even more brutal and bloody conflict, Germany opened its door to hundreds of thousands of refugees. At train stations in cities like Munich and Berlin, groups of people waited to greet the new arrivals, bearing offers of support and shelter, along with water and chocolate bars. For Dr. Andreas Philippi, Lower Saxony's Minister for Labour and Integration and chair of the German Integration Ministers' Conference, this moment marked a high point for Germany. Faced with those fleeing war and persecution, he said, the country experienced a collective "wave of empathy". "You may remember the Chancellor (Angela Merkel) saying, 'We can do this,' and it worked wonderfully because we were a strong country that had built itself up over decades," he told The Local. "We had many resources, we embraced the situation, and we also had a history." Ten years later, however, the tone on immigration has shifted dramatically. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) achieved record results in February's election, and the public debate is dominated by anger, resentment and fear. This is despite the fact that the demographics in Germany are shifting, and around 26 percent of the population now has a migration background. "Fear in people's minds remains," said Philippi. "Fear of foreigners, fear of change. Before the federal election, there were several attacks involving migrants - some were mentally ill, some stateless - and the media coverage reinforced this primal fear of the 'other'." According to the SPD politician, the attacks and their subsequent media coverage has whipped up a far more widespread distrust of migrants - despite the fact that the perpetrators represent just a tiny proportion of foreigners in Germany. "It results in the entire group being judged by the actions of a minuscule few - something like '0.00003' percent. That's one reason why we've struggled, for example, to convince people in Eastern Germany that the AfD's fear-based policies are wrongfully targeted at minorities and newcomers,' Philippi added. 'As we saw during the election campaign, the focus wasn't on unity, but rather on spreading fear. Politicians like Friedrich Merz took clear positions - even getting support from the AfD at one point - despite knowing their demands weren't compatible with European or international law.' READ ALSO: How German media reveals its bias when foreigners commit crimes In contrast to Merkel's famous phrase - "Wir schaffen das" - the current CDU-led government has focused on pulling up the drawbridge to stop the influx of migrants. Just days after taking office, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) ordered police to step up checks at all of Germany's land borders and reject almost all asylum seekers trying to enter the country. Advertisement Vital for prosperity When Germany's state integration ministers gathered in Göttingen in April for the annual Integration Ministers Conference, they were swimming against this anti-migrant tide. The ministers looked at measures to help foreigners find their feet in the country, learn German and enter the workplace successfully. Andreas Philippi (SPD) is seen behind a globe placed on the table at a press conference at the end of the two-day Integration Ministers' Conference (IntMK). Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Bernd Wüstneck According to the Institute for Labour Research (IAB), Germany requires at least 400,000 workers to move to the country per year in order to maintain its supply of labour. This will be vital for ensuring growth and shoring up the country's welfare and pensions system. "From a labour market perspective, we see that the balance between working and non-working populations only remains stable because of immigration," said Philippi. "Without it, we'll face a shortage of 33 percent of the workforce in the next 20 to 30 years. That would mean Germany will no longer be able to maintain its prosperity as we have done, through work and through taxation." Currently, the most urgent need for workers is in four key sectors: healthcare, logistics, construction and hospitality. However, the Lower Saxony Labour Minister says there is a demand for workers everywhere. With such an urgent need for new talent, integrating foreigners into work and society becomes a vital part of Germany's economic success. Advertisement As part of this long-term goal, Germany rolled out its new digital visa portal at the start of the year, with the aim of making the application process far quicker and more efficient. In places like India and Indonesia, where waiting times for an appointment can stretch up to nine months, this work is still ongoing. However, for Philippi, the most important part of the process begins after arrival. "Integration doesn't begin with the journey here; it starts once people are here, once they have their papers and decide to stay,' he explained. That was one of the primary lessons of the Syrian refugee crisis, he added. Concrete steps Despite the perceptible lurch to the right in German politics, there have been several steps forward over the last decade when it comes to welcoming foreigners. Among the most significant was the traffic-light coalition's landmark reform of citizenship, reducing residence requirements to five years from eight and ending a ban on dual nationality. This, along with the introduction of new language and integration courses and moves to speed up recognition of qualifications, was seen as major win for the integration ministers. READ ALSO: Germany's dual citizenship law to remain under future CDU/SPD coalition But Philippi believes there's still work to do. Advertisement One concrete example of this work is Adelante Colombia : a collaborative project between Lower Saxony's Work and Social Ministry and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. The initial goal is to recruit 50 young people from Colombia, where the unemployment rate is 25 percent, to train in Germany's struggling healthcare and life sciences industries. "We've selected young people who are learning German and are motivated to train in healthcare-related jobs," Philippi explained. "We'll ensure they get passports, visas, and places to continue their training here in Germany. They'll arrive in communities where there are already Spanish-speaking networks, which will ease integration. We call the concept: work together, live together." Beyond projects to recruit workers from abroad, integration ministers also want to dismantle hurdles that workers can face on arrival. This includes expanding Welcome Centres - a first port of call to help foreigners navigate German bureaucracy and settle into the country. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visits a welcome centre for Ukrainian refugees in Romania which shows what such centres in Germany could looks like. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Bernd von Jutrczenka It also involves improving the clunky and fragmented process of getting foreign qualifications recognised - not only by speeding up administration but also by lowering the bar. "Our goal is quick recognition," said Philippi. "In less complex professions, it's better to get people into companies early, where they'll learn the language faster. "We should also reconsider how difficult the exams are. German is a tough language - I met four Moroccan men who were great practical workers but failed because the test questions were too hard. We might need to ease up in some areas." Another way of simplifying the process is to apply less-rigid criteria, he added: "Not just checking curriculums or exam results, but also conducting competency assessments to see what applicants actually know." Advertisement Speeding up processes In future, the goal is to give applicants a preliminary decision within four weeks, with the vast majority receiving full recognition within three months - or six in the most complicated cases. This would mark a major improvement on current waiting times, which can stretch up to a year. Philippi believes a similar goal should be in place for citizenship applications, which can take a notoriously long time to process. With naturalisation offices chronically understaffed and overwhelmed with applications - many of them from former Syrian refugees - eligible candidates can find themselves waiting years to finally receive an answer. READ ALSO: Which German cities have the longest waiting times for citizenship? "As politicians, we have a strong interest in improving bureaucratic efficiency - either by hiring more staff or reducing bureaucracy itself," he said. "If someone has submitted everything and is eligible, it absolutely shouldn't take two years. Once everything is in order, it should not take longer than three months to make a decision - and even that feels too long." Despite the integration ministers' best efforts, however, some fear that the anti-immigrant tone in Germany will still be off-putting to foreigners. While pulling up the drawbridge for asylum seekers, the very skilled workers Germany wants to attract may well decide to go elsewhere. READ ALSO: 'Slap in the face' - Applicants blast Germany's plan to scrap citizenship reform "Of course, some will choose a liberal country like Canada over a right-leaning Germany, especially if they fear discrimination because of their skin colour - that worries me deeply," Philippi said. "But we can only urge people: don't let fear deter you." Advertisement While the headlines may be dominated by anti-migrant rhetoric, the work of making it easier to settle in Germany will continue quietly in the background - with local leaders like Philippi striving to improve the system step by step. READ ALSO: 'A fifth of voters hate me' - How do foreigners in Germany feel about far-right surge?
The Guardian
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Germany needs a unifier. In Merz, it is getting a chancellor whose instincts are to divide
A few weeks before Germany's federal election in late February, Friedrich Merz was forced to backpedal after a daring gambit went awry. His attempt to win votes by forcing through a hardline crackdown on migration had caused a rebellion in his own Christian Democratic party (CDU). Instead of positioning himself as a strong leader, he undermined the entire German political establishment. Merz's strategy involved breaking a taboo by relying on far-right nationalists to pass legislation for the first time in Germany's postwar history. The move fractured the country's normally consensus-driven centrist parties in the Bundestag, sparked mass protests and led to a rare public rebuke from the former chancellor and CDU leader Angela Merkel. Despite the backlash, Merz stuck to his trademark swagger and refused to back down from setting a disturbing precedent. His only nod to regret was admitting he would have liked to have seen a different result. This is the man taking the reins of Europe's central power, and the continent has cause for concern. The 69-year-old conservative will be sworn in as chancellor on 6 May, at a moment of profound reckoning for Germany. The postwar promise of Wohlstand für Alle (prosperity for all) is slipping away, with soaring inequality and a fifth of Germans facing poverty or social exclusion. Beyond the enduring east-west divide, new fractures split secure professionals from the precarious working class, old from young, urban from rural, homeowners from renters. Roads and railways are crumbling, digital infrastructure is behind the times and the education system is struggling to equip a shrinking workforce for the demands of an evolving economy. The country's industrial base is buckling under high energy costs, outdated technology and suffocating bureaucracy. The once dominant car manufacturers are reeling, caught between their own hubris and growing competition from China. Donald Trump's trade wars have turned the economy's dependence on exports into a glaring vulnerability, while Vladimir Putin's aggression is forcing Germany to confront the threat of war. Against this backdrop, the anti-Europe, pro-Russia Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has drawn level with Merz's CDU-led bloc in the polls, shattering the comforting illusion that Germany's past had insulated it from the siren calls of nationalist populism. Germany's domestic intelligence agency last week designated the AfD, which is now the biggest opposition party, a 'confirmed rightwing extremist' force. Faced with these challenges, Germany needs a unifier who can rally a divided nation with vision and purpose. But instead of a figure like John F Kennedy, who motivated the US with plans for a moonshot, it is getting an operator closer to David Cameron. Merz's failed migration bill finds an echo in the former UK prime minister's fateful Brexit gamble. Both politicians tried to harness nationalist, populist causes and lost control. The difference is that Merz still has time to change course, though his record offers little reason for optimism. In the weeks since winning the election, the incoming chancellor has swung wildly back and forth. After flirting with the AfD on the migration crackdown, he took a harder line against post-election cooperation with the far-right and offered concessions to win over the Social Democrats for a governing coalition. After campaigning on fiscal restraint, Merz made an abrupt U-turn on debt financing by hastily pushing constitutional reforms with the Social Democrats and the Greens to unlock hundreds of billions of euros in borrowing for defence and infrastructure. While changes to Germany's restrictive debt brake had been long overdue and were cheered by European allies, the sudden move was viewed with scepticism at home and contributed to pressure from conservative allies, who worried that Merz was giving too much ground to the centre-left Social Democrats. He has responded by vowing to squeeze spending, mainly at the expense of Germany's most vulnerable groups. Trained as a corporate lawyer, Merz has never run a state, a ministry or even a district council. Known for being petulant and prickly, he gave up on politics after Merkel blocked his path to power, only returning to grasp his opportunity in the vacuum she left behind. But even then, it took him three attempts to secure the leadership of the CDU. Rather than building bridges, Merz has often widened divides. In 2000, when he was vying with Merkel for control of the Christian Democrats, he proposed the concept of a German Leitkultur – which literally means 'leading culture' – and called on migrants to conform to a set of core traditions to truly belong. In late 2023, he revived that debate. In trying to imbue the vague term with meaning, Merz suggested that buying a Christmas tree was part of being truly German – excluding Jews, Muslims, Hindus and secular Germans in the process. It wasn't a slip of the tongue. The man from rural Sauerland in western Germany has called migrant children 'little pashas', accused Ukrainian refugees of 'welfare tourism' and claimed that foreigners abuse Germany's health system 'to get their teeth redone' – an allegation so inflammatory that it drew a public rebuttal from the German Dental Association. His reputation and recent actions have Merz limping towards office, with an approval rating of just 36% – between the leftist Heidi Reichinnek and the AfD co-leader Alice Weidel, according to a recent Bild poll. Far from being a knockout blow to the advance of the AfD, its classification as extremist risks playing into the party's anti-establishment narrative. The reaction from the Trump administration – secretary of state Marco Rubio called the German intelligence agency's move 'tyranny in disguise' – underscores how fraught transatlantic relations have become. To turn things around, Merz needs to find his feet fast, show that he can be the chancellor for all Germans and chart a path towards the future. With his debt-fuelled spending package, he has the resources at his disposal. But aside from boldly proclaiming that 'Germany is back' on the world stage, he has made little effort to sell the plan to the public or set out goals and objectives. That needs to change, and a bold reset of the social contract is needed. The reality is that Merz's funding plan is Germany's moonshot, but so far it lacks a launch pad and a destination. The country won't have access to these resources a second time and the new chancellor needs to make it count. Otherwise, the AfD will find itself with a clearer path to power. By appealing to populist sentiments and deepening divisions within Germany, Merz may inadvertently empower a more radical political shift, much as Cameron did in the UK. Chris Reiter and Will Wilkes are the authors of Broken Republik: The Inside Story of Germany's Descent into Crisis. The German edition is Totally kaputt? Wie Deutschland sich selbst zerlegt
Local Germany
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Germany
Berlin culture official quits after funding cut backlash
Joe Chialo, from the conservative CDU party, had initially sought to defend the cost-saving measures last year but became a lightning rod for anger during protests over the cuts. However, he said Friday that extra measures now being planned went too far and could "lead to the imminent closure of nationally known cultural institutions". Chialo also said discussions about the cuts had become difficult as criticism was increasingly focused on him personally. "When central political and professional goals can no longer be implemented... it is, in my view, consistent to step aside and place the office in new hands," he said in a statement. The 54-year-old had been seen as a contender for culture minister at the national level in the incoming CDU-led government of Friedrich Merz. READ ALSO: Transport, culture and tax - How Berlin's budget cuts could affect you But on Monday the party announced that Wolfram Weimer, a prominent conservative publisher and journalist, would take up the post. Chialo was booed when he addressed a rally of hundreds of creative sector workers at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate in November, with techno clubs, classic music venues and theatres all warning the cuts would be devastating. Advertisement He was also in the headlines again in February when a report claimed that outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz had referred to him as a "fig leaf" figure in the CDU and a "court jester". Scholz fiercely denied any suggestion that the comments were linked to the ethnic background of Chialo, who has Tanzanian family roots. Some of Chialo's public events have also been disrupted by pro-Palestinian activists after he repeatedly condemned rising anti-Semitism in Germany amid the Gaza war that was sparked by Hamas's deadly October 7th, 2023 attack on Israel.
France 24
02-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Berlin culture official quits after funding cut backlash
Joe Chialo, from the conservative CDU party, had initially sought to defend the cost-saving measures last year but became a lightning rod for anger during protests over the cuts. However, he said Friday that extra measures now being planned went too far and could "lead to the imminent closure of nationally known cultural institutions". Chialo also said discussions about the cuts had become difficult as criticism was increasingly focused on him personally. "When central political and professional goals can no longer be implemented... it is, in my view, consistent to step aside and place the office in new hands," he said in a statement. The 54-year-old had been seen as a contender for culture minister at the national level in the incoming CDU-led government of Friedrich Merz. But on Monday the party announced that Wolfram Weimer, a prominent conservative publisher and journalist, would take up the post. Chialo was booed when he addressed a rally of hundreds of creative sector workers at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate in November, with techno clubs, classic music venues and theatres all warning the cuts would be devastating. He was also in the headlines again in February when a report claimed that outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz had referred to him as a "fig leaf" figure in the CDU and a "court jester". Scholz fiercely denied any suggestion that the comments were linked to the ethnic background of Chialo, who has Tanzanian family roots. Some of Chialo's public events have also been disrupted by pro-Palestinian activists after he repeatedly condemned rising anti-Semitism in Germany amid the Gaza war that was sparked by Hamas's deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Berlin culture official quits after funding cut backlash
Berlin's top culture official resigned Friday amid controversy over arts funding cuts that critics had warned would do massive damage to the capital city's famed clubs, theatres and orchestras. Joe Chialo, from the conservative CDU party, had initially sought to defend the cost-saving measures last year but became a lightning rod for anger during protests over the cuts. However, he said Friday that extra measures now being planned went too far and could "lead to the imminent closure of nationally known cultural institutions". Chialo also said discussions about the cuts had become difficult as criticism was increasingly focused on him personally. "When central political and professional goals can no longer be implemented... it is, in my view, consistent to step aside and place the office in new hands," he said in a statement. The 54-year-old had been seen as a contender for culture minister at the national level in the incoming CDU-led government of Friedrich Merz. But on Monday the party announced that Wolfram Weimer, a prominent conservative publisher and journalist, would take up the post. Chialo was booed when he addressed a rally of hundreds of creative sector workers at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate in November, with techno clubs, classic music venues and theatres all warning the cuts would be devastating. He was also in the headlines again in February when a report claimed that outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz had referred to him as a "fig leaf" figure in the CDU and a "court jester". Scholz fiercely denied any suggestion that the comments were linked to the ethnic background of Chialo, who has Tanzanian family roots. Some of Chialo's public events have also been disrupted by pro-Palestinian activists after he repeatedly condemned rising anti-Semitism in Germany amid the Gaza war that was sparked by Hamas's deadly October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. sr/fz/jm
