Easier child access to German citizenship has been floated by integration ministers of Germany's 16 states. But the idea is likely to face opposition from federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer.
Image: Patrick Pleul/dpa/picture-alliance
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Children born to foreigners living in Germany should be granted faster access by law to German citizenship, integration ministers from Germany's 16 states have urged in a majority appeal.
Meeting in the harbor city-state of Bremen Friday, ministers called on the federal government to reform Germany's Nationality Act (StAG) by reducing a resident child's waiting time for citizenship from the current eight years to six years.
A reduction to four years should apply to foreign families who show special integrative aptitude, urged ministers, who form Germany's Integration Ministers' Conference (IntMK). The group, whose rotating chair is currently held by Bremen's Social and Integration Senator Anja Stahmann of Germany's opposition Greens, was initiated under Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2007 to coordinate regional and federal policies, but often exposes major differences among state approaches.
Ease rules, urges Bremen minister Anja StahmannImage: www.soziales.bremen.de
The IntMK also received a study showing trust migrants hold toward German authorities and urged the federal government to fully use EU-negotiated quotas to bring "subsidiary" family members and reunite them with refugees already in Germany. Of the 12,000 such entries possible last year only 5,300 visas were issued, it said.
Child refugees arriving at Hanover's airport from Greece. 8,6 or 4 years to citizenship?Image: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa/picture alliance
Last week, a flight carrying 103 refugees landed in Hanover, raising to 2,765 the number of arrivals in Germany since April 2020, meeting the target of 2,750 that Germany had declared itself willing to accept.
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'Secondary migration' along 'Balkan route' still prevalent
Stahmann had condemned what she called the "repeated refusal" of Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer to accept more refugees from crowded camps in Greece.
Seehofer, former premier of Bavaria, where Germany's 2015 refugee crisis unfolded, last week prolonged federal controls along the German-Austrian border, citing a "secondary migration of refugees" still prevalent through EU member nations.
The situation on the Aegean maritime border between Turkey and Greece, was "still highly fragile," said Seehofer, also warning of "illegal migration potential on the Balkan route."
Hardline German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer questions "open border" practicesImage: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Carstensen
In January alone, he said, authorities had detected 24 cases of people smugglers using risky container trucks and vans carrying 103 occupants along the German border with Austria.
Maritime Bremen, which prides itself on being "world open," was where in 2018 one of Seehofer's immigration directors — attached to Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) — was accused of falsifying asylum approvals.
Last week, Bremen's regional court dropped their prosecution of the case on the condition that the former BAMF director, now aged 59, pay a fine of €10,000 ($12,124).
10 reasons to love Bremen
Bustling Bremen and the nearby port city of Bremerhaven make up Germany's smallest federal state. It's all about Hanseatic traditions and a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Nowottnick
The Town Musicians of Bremen
The Town Musicians of Bremen is a famous folktale by the Brothers Grimm. The story is about four aging animals leaving their homes to seek their fortune in Bremen. Local legend says that touching the Bremen Town Musicians statue in the city center will bring good luck.
Image: Sina Schuldt/dpa/picture alliance
Guardian of the city
This Bremen statue shows Roland, a loyal knight who once served under Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne. It was erected in the city's market square in 1404. Legend has it that Bremen will remain free and independent as long as Roland stands watch over the city. The statue and historic town hall are protected UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Image: Sina Schuldt/dpa/picture alliance
Weser Renaissance architecture
Seventeenth century artists carved countless intricate figures and reliefs into the sandstone facade of Bremen's City Hall . Among them is the city's famous key symbol, which later became a motif in the coat of arms. Bremen is revered for its Weser Renaissance architecture.
Image: Ingo Wagner/picture alliance
Risk it and win
The former Schütting guild house served Bremen's merchants and traders for nearly 600 years. Today, it houses Bremen's chamber of commerce. In 1899, the Low German inscription "buten un binnen wagen un winnen," which translates to "outside and in, risk it and win," was added to the building's portal.
Image: picture alliance/dpa
Schaffermahlzeit banquet
Every year, 100 captains, 100 merchants and 100 guests gather at Bremen City Hall for the traditional Schaffermahlzeit banquet. The all-male tradition was introduced in 1545 as a means to gather together the city's captains, ship owners and merchants. On February 13, 2015, women were invited to the dinner for the first time in history.
Image: Sina Schuldt/dpa/picture alliance
Bremen's oldest quarter
Charming half-timbered houses and quaint stores make up Bremen's enchanting Schnoor quarter, located just a few hundred meters from the market square. It is the city's oldest neighborhood and ideal for a leisurely stroll.
Image: Schoening/picture alliance
A trading hub
The Weser River connects Bremen to the North Sea via Bremerhaven, some 60 kilometers (37 miles) further north. The river was a key trade route. Over the centuries, ships would bring raw materials back to Bremen from northern Europe, where they would in turn load fabrics and ironware. Bremen became a member of the Hanseatic League, a powerful medieval alliance of merchants and cities, in 1358.
Image: Sina Schuldt/dpa/picture alliance
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven has one of the largest container ports in Europe, handling some 50 million tons of cargo every year. Yet Bremerhaven is also a key hub for passenger ships. Its Columbus Cruise Center ranks among the most modern passenger terminals in the world. The city is also home to the Atlantic Hotel Sail City, which resembles a giant sail.
Image: Jochen Tack/picture alliance
Bremerhaven's German Emigration Center
Bremerhaven's German Emigration Center is dedicated to the history of Germans who migrated abroad, especially to the US. It's here that in the 19th and 20th centuries, millions of passengers boarded ships bound for the American continent and elsewhere seeking to build new lives.
Image: DW
Bremerhaven's Klimahaus museum
Bremerhaven's harbor district features a dazzling museum dedicated to climate change. The stylish building resembles the shape of a ship and its exterior is comprised of 4,000 glass panes. Inside, visitors can learn about the impact of global warming on nature and mankind.
