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The German law on dual citizenship has seen two legislative delays in recent weeks. The coalition now says they have resolved their disagreements regarding the eligibility of recipients and the legislation could be passed in January 2024.
Germany's coalition government has resolved disagreements about some elements of the country's new dual citizenship law.
The main point of contention between the FDP and the Greens was the amendment to revoke the citizenship of non-EU German residents who had previously applied for unemployment benefits such as Arbeitslosengeld or Bürgergeld.
There was also controversy over Germany's new immigration legislation, the Repatriation Improvement Act, which would make it easier for the German government to deport people by expanding police powers. In recent controversies, the parties have argued over whether the deportees should automatically be provided with a free lawyer.
Announcing that the coalition had reached an agreement, faction leaders Britta Haßelmann and Katharina Dröge (Greens), Rolf Mützenich (SPD) and Christian Dürr (FDP) said the new laws “[do] justice to a modern immigration society and the principles of humanity and order.”
The agreement between the coalition parties means the legislation will now move to a second debate, also known as reading.
Finally, a vote will take place at the end of the third reading. According to Haßelmann, Dröge, Mützenich and Dürr, this could happen as early as in January.
When this happens, current German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will ask elected politicians to vote or abstain.
If everything goes according to the plan, German residents can expect the new citizenship law to come into force from April 2024.
The new deportation law, which has been criticized by Amnesty International over concerns about whether the law violates fundamental rights and European and international law, is likely to follow the same timeline.
Source: I am Expat
Photo by Dennis Rochel on Unsplash
