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Local Germany
4 days ago
- Politics
- Local Germany
Inside Germany: Confusion surrounds end of 'turbo' citizenship and all the June changes
Inside Germany is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in Germany that you might've missed. It's published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article. End of the three year fast-track path to citizenship Germany's new black-red government had promised to bring changes to the country's immigration policies, and they have wasted very little time in getting to the point. Just over three weeks have passed since the conservative Christian Union (CDU/CSU) and centre-left Social Democrat parties have stepped into their new leading roles in the federal government and already the cabinet has passed two bills set to tighten the country's immigration policies. The bills, which still need to be passed by the Bundestag before becoming law, were put forward by Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), who had previously pledged to bring forth a "turnaround" in migration. One of the bills would suspend family reunification for migrants with subsidiary protection status (essentially refugees that were not granted asylum but are lawfully allowed to remain in Germany). The other would end the three-year fast-track to German citizenship that was introduced last year as part of the sweeping reform of Germany's naturalisation rules. The good news is that, despite pledges we'd previously heard from conservative leaders, Germany's new federal government wont focus its efforts on scrapping the rest of the naturalisation reforms that were enacted nearly one year ago (on June 27th). So German dual-citizenship will remain an option for non-EU nationals, and the residency requirement will remain at five years as opposed to the previous eight. A person holds a German and British passport. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Britta Pedersen The bad news is that any foreign residents who might have qualified as "highly integrated" , and who had been looking forward to naturalising after just three years in the country will now have to wait at least two more, like the rest of us. As of yet it's unclear how the rule change would affect anyone who is waiting for decision on their pending fast-track citizenship application. But as we wrote on Monday , one migration lawyer in Germany has suggested that applicants in this position might considering bringing forward an Untätigkeitsklage (a legal challenge against the failure to act), as that could force the relevant officials to make a decision on your application before the rule change is established as law. Advertisement For now, it's unclear exactly how many people have applied for citizenship via the fast-track. Germany's Statistical Office keeps count of how many people naturalise each year, but when The Local reached out for clarification they said they don't differentiate between "highly integrated" or standard naturalisations. Have you applied for citizenship through either track, or plan to do so soon? We'd love to hear about your experience in our latest survey. Any comments your willing to share may help us as we prepare future articles on the topic. Where is this? Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sebastian Willnow Advertisement Opencast mining is a big operation, and it's left its mark on various German landscapes, wherever lignite coal or others rocks and minerals have been extracted. This old mining town saw the closure of it's large mine in 1991, but the large excavator machines you can see in the background of the shot above were left on site, and they have been effectively repurposed as monuments that can be observed, and even climbed on, in a large outdoor museum. But the space does not only serve as a museum, depicted above, members of a Christian parish from the nearby village of Gräfenhainichen have gathered for a special church service on Ascension Day (or Christi Himmelfahrt ) , which was observed on Thursday this week. The photo was taken at Ferropolis, which is set in the retired open-cast mine Golpa Nord at Gremminer See. The site is about two hours southwest of Berlin by car, or about one hour north of Leipzig. Advertisement Coming changes With the sky staying light well into the evening -- and then brightening again far too early in the morning -- it's clear that Summer is just around around the corner. This weekend brings the end of May and the start of June, and also a number of interesting changes for those of us living Germany. The first notable change starts from the coming Sunday (June 1st) when maternity leave, or Mutterschutz, is to also apply to women who lose a pregnancy due to miscarriage (from the 13th week). Another notable change comes just a few days later on June 6th when rules around changing electricity providers will change. Our newest contributor, Tom Pugh unpacked what that change means for consumers this week. READ ALSO: Seven unmissable events happening around Germany in June 2025 The other June update to be aware of is that Whit Monday, on the 9th, will bring yet another three-day weekend to most regular workers. You'll want to make any travel plans now if you're going too.
Local Germany
5 days ago
- Politics
- Local Germany
TELL US: Are you affected by Germany's plan to scrap fast-track citizenship process?
The law change would basically end the possibility that highly integrated foreigners can naturalise as German after just three years - instead of the standard five. The conservative Christian Union parties (CDU/CSU) and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) had already agreed the reform in their coalition deal. The three-year track for well-integrated immigrants was introduced in mid-2024 as part of a sweeping reform of Germany's citizenship rules. Those reforms also introduced the possibility for non-EU nationals to get German citizenship and become dual nationals - previously this was only available to those with an EU nationality. So tell us how you feel about the change and if you'll be affected in this quick questionnaire below. If it does not appear click here .
Local Germany
7 days ago
- Politics
- Local Germany
Germany moves to end family reunification for refugees
Germany's Federal Cabinet in Berlin passed two bills that aim to tighten the country's migration policies on Wednesday – one of which would scrap family reunification for a particular group of migrants. It comes as one of the first bills introduced by Germany's new black-red government to make good on campaign promises to bring about a 'migration turnaround' – essentially a tightening of immigration policies. READ ALSO: Who will be most affected by move to end fast-track German citizenship? The conservative Christian Union parties (CDU/CSU) and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) had previously agreed in their coalition agreement to the reform. Specifically, the reform would affect people with subsidiary protection status – this applies to people who do not receive asylum or refugee protection in Germany, but are allowed to stay because they are threatened with political persecution, torture or death in their home countries. Civil war refugees, for example, often fall into this group. DPA reported that according to the draft law, 388,074 people with subsidiary protection were living in Germany at the end of March. About three-quarters came from Syria. Existing family reunification rules have allowed this group to bring close relatives, i.e. married couples, registered civil partners and minor children, to Germany. Since August 2018, approximately 1,000 people per month have entered the country as relatives of people with this protection status, according to government figures. So, in total that amounts to about 12,000 people per year. In comparison, a total of 229,751 people applied for asylum in Germany for the first time last year. Advertisement Justifying the policy change, the interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), told Bild, "We have to significantly reduce the pull factors to Germany. This also shows that migration policy has changed." READ ALSO: How long can Germany keep its tighter border controls in place? But migration experts contacted by the Rheinische Post were not convinced. Herbert Brücker from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) told the Post , "We know from studies that separation from one's own family is psychologically very stressful for refugees and thus also hinders their integration." He added that in terms of reducing the number of migrants coming into Germany, the impact of suspending these reunifications would be minimal.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Dutch vote to ban New Year's fireworks, but not just yet
The Dutch parliament has voted to ban people buying and setting off fireworks, but not until after next New Year's Eve. A majority of MPs backed a consumer ban but supported a separate motion postponing it because of potentially enormous compensation claims from fireworks suppliers. Fireworks have been a New Year tradition for decades in the Netherlands, but the scale of injuries and damage on the night has spiralled in recent years. Last New Year's Eve, two people were killed and 1,162 people needed emergency treatment for a range of injuries including burns and eye damage. New-year celebrations have become a byword for antisocial behaviour in many Dutch cities and public support for a ban has gradually changed the minds of politicians too. Three-quarters of the Dutch public now support a ban, according to a recent opinion poll. The centre-right liberal VVD party, which is part of the Dutch government, swung behind a ban at the end of March, followed by another coalition party, NSC. However, the two other ruling parties objected, arguing most of the problems stemmed from illegal rather than legally bought fireworks. Locally run firework displays could survive the ban, but details are yet to be agreed. The awkward compromise of delaying the ban until New Year's Eve 2026 has led to fears of a final night of legalised mayhem. Mirjam Bikker of the Christian Union party was concerned that next 31 December would end up as "yet another kind of Armageddon and everyone will go completely crazy and go off the rails one more time". It is not just that fireworks are routinely set off in the street in the Netherlands, but cars, scooters and buildings have been set alight and riots have broken out with fireworks thrown at emergency services. Last new year, 200 people were arrested and damage caused by fireworks was estimated at €16m ($17.5m; £13.7m). Nineteen towns and cities imposed firework bans while many other areas created firework-free zones. But the bans were largely ignored and the mayor of Amsterdam said it was hopeless as long as the government did nothing to put an end to commercial sales. The Netherlands is not alone. Belgium and Germany have seen firework violence too. The head of the NPB Dutch police union, Nine Kooiman, said police felt as if they were working "in a war zone". A survey of union members suggested four out of 10 officers preferred not to work on New Year's Eve because of the severe safety risks. Although a range of Dutch groups have backed a ban, fireworks suppliers are seeking some €895m in compensation because of the stocks they have bought up for the next new year. The government puts the cost of compensation at between €100-150m if a ban comes in this year, but more like €50m if it is introduced in 2026. Baby red panda died from firework stress, says zoo Authorities fear repeat of NYE firework violence New year riots prompt call for German firework ban
BBC News
08-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Dutch vote to ban New Year's fireworks, but not just yet
The Dutch parliament has voted to ban people buying and setting off fireworks, but not until after next New Year's Eve.A majority of MPs backed a consumer ban but supported a separate motion postponing it because of potentially enormous compensation claims from fireworks have been a New Year tradition for decades in the Netherlands, but the scale of injuries and damage on the night has spiralled in recent New Year's Eve, two people were killed and 1,162 people needed emergency treatment for a range of injuries including burns and eye damage. New-year celebrations have become a byword for antisocial behaviour in many Dutch cities and public support for a ban has gradually changed the minds of politicians too. Three-quarters of the Dutch public now support a ban, according to a recent opinion centre-right liberal VVD party, which is part of the Dutch government, swung behind a ban at the end of March, followed by another coalition party, the two other ruling parties objected, arguing most of the problems stemmed from illegal rather than legally bought run firework displays could survive the ban, but details are yet to be awkward compromise of delaying the ban until New Year's Eve 2026 has led to fears of a final night of legalised mayhem. Mirjam Bikker of the Christian Union party was concerned that next 31 December would end up as "yet another kind of Armageddon and everyone will go completely crazy and go off the rails one more time".It is not just that fireworks are routinely set off in the street in the Netherlands, but cars, scooters and buildings have been set alight and riots have broken out with fireworks thrown at emergency services. Last new year, 200 people were arrested and damage caused by fireworks was estimated at €16m ($17.5m; £13.7m). Nineteen towns and cities imposed firework bans while many other areas created firework-free zones. But the bans were largely ignored and the mayor of Amsterdam said it was hopeless as long as the government did nothing to put an end to commercial Netherlands is not alone. Belgium and Germany have seen firework violence head of the NPB Dutch police union, Nine Kooiman, said police felt as if they were working "in a war zone". A survey of union members suggested four out of 10 officers preferred not to work on New Year's Eve because of the severe safety risks. Although a range of Dutch groups have backed a ban, fireworks suppliers are seeking some €895m in compensation because of the stocks they have bought up for the next new year. The government puts the cost of compensation at between €100-150m if a ban comes in this year, but more like €50m if it is introduced in 2026.
