At the height of the refugee crisis in 2015-16, some more sane political pundits found themselves saying that the influx would serve to strengthen the left in the long run.

At the height of the refugee crisis in 2015-16, some more sane political pundits found themselves saying that the influx would serve to strengthen the left in the long run. The so-called migrant caressing activists actually fulfill a political mission under the guise of rescuing people, building a left-wing voter base. In the best case, the response to this was only a wave or a firm rejection of the item. It's nonsense, said the ever-confident Germans, it's all stupid reasoning, and they firmly stated that it was impossible anyway. Only adult citizens can take part in elections, and citizenship in a state of law has strict criteria regulated by law.

That's true. On the website of the German government, you can find detailed information about the conditions for obtaining citizenship, recently also in simplified German. Simplified German can be found on all surfaces of the public administration, and for the benefit of the weaker, it explains the important information in simple extended sentences with a vocabulary corresponding to the level of the A2 language exam. Naturalization currently requires, in addition to satisfactory language skills, a permanent residence permit for eight years, residence in a way of life, steady income and security of existence. You have to fill out a citizenship test that tests your knowledge of the law and social order, and then during the solemn oath you have to put your faith in the basic law of free, democratic Germany. This is therefore appropriate, even if loopholes and simplifications have been hidden in naturalization, as in everything else.

Now it turned out that those experts had a good understanding of the political aspect of migration a few years ago! Because the Ministry of the Interior has drawn up a bill on simplifying the acquisition of citizenship. Social cohesion must be strengthened, as many people as possible must be naturalized as quickly and better as possible - the minister without portfolio responsible for migration and integration justified the proposal. Germany must become a diverse, modern immigrant country, as it was formulated in the government program. Socialist Minister Reem Alabali-Radovan is a credible person to represent the project. His Iraqi parents met in Moscow, he was also born there, but then they fled from Hussein to the welcoming Germany. Her husband is also the son of refugee parents, straight from Romania.

10.7 million foreign citizens live in Germany, more than the entire population of Hungary. Many of them have been living there for at least ten years without even thinking about naturalization. They go without it. To tell the truth, it never occurred to me to become German either. Only 1.3 percent took advantage of the opportunity, which is certainly a very low value in European terms, something must be done to change it.

Now, in order to achieve the set goal, the acquisition of citizenship would be reduced to five years, and even those who are willing to make special efforts for naturalization (German passport, right to vote) would reduce this time to three years. According to the draft, previously rejected asylum seekers and the entire extended family can also submit their application. Children do not have to prove anything, they automatically receive citizenship after their parents. They expect neither language nor integration from the elderly, this would not be tolerant of them. Most of them have lived here for so long anyway, and if they haven't learned German before, they won't. The procedure would also be simplified by automatically allowing dual citizenship. You don't have to give up the original, you get the German one as well. The authorities hope that this will encourage many immigrants to become citizens.

They do not count on the fact that the citizenship status is devalued, that the distribution does not help the integration that is essential for social coexistence, and gives an additional incentive to illegal migration. Dual citizenship means dual identity, the voice of more and more muezzins will rise above Germany.

The naturalization reform would be supplemented by an amendment to the Migration Act. During her travels abroad, the trampoline green Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock meets many (similarly) qualified people who would be happy to move to Germany. Since the German economy lacks 400,000 professionals, all doors would be opened for skilled immigrants and their family members. The cornerstones of the so-called "specialist immigration law" have already been laid by the government. Facilitated migration would also apply to those whose skills are not in demand on the labor market, but who undertake any further training. The opposition and economic actors are not happy about the crazy idea, the new wave of immigrants. They see that Germany is no longer an attractive place for highly qualified workers. The misguided migration policy primarily attracts unskilled, subsistence migrants, and with its lax rules it primarily invites immigration into crumbling social systems.

At the social level, a paradigm shift is taking place before our eyes in German politics. The further encouragement of migration, the naturalization reform and the plan to uniformly lower the voting age all point in the same direction. Open Society's "becoming a diverse immigrant country" project in Germany is coming together nicely. Perhaps the rainbow armband and flag are also displayed in the spirit of this, it expresses the modern German identity better than the current tricolor, which symbolizes the withered democracy and excessive freedoms.

The author is a historian

Source: Magyar Hírlap

Photo: epd-bild/Stefan Trappe