Berlin, 18/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - The German migrant integration programme that the coalition power has just adopted sets out several conditions for obtaining the right of residence in Germany.
To obtain something, one has to make an effort in return, appears to be the philosophy underpinning the raft of measures on integration adopted by the German government coalition last week. On Thursday 14 April, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, informed the press that "This is the first ever of its kind for Germany". This is the first time that "rights" and "responsibilities" for migrants have been explicitly defined in Germany, explained the Chancellor.
This agreement completes the 2005 German law on immigration and explicitly links the learning of the German language with obtaining leave to remain. It also guarantees the right to residency for those on apprenticeships but withdraw it from them if they abandon their training before the courses officially end.
The restriction on not authorising asylum seekers to apply for a job if a German or European citizen is a candidate has been suspended for three years. Around 100,000 "mini jobs" for a Euro a day will also be proposed for asylum seekers. This mechanism was created around ten years ago in Germany to help promote reintegration into the labour market.
The measure that has provoked the most opposition involves allocating accommodation. The agreement involves allocating asylum seekers accommodation throughout Germany, particularly in the countryside where demographic decline is the most marked. The German “Pro-asyl” group believes that this measure could cut refugees from their families, as well as the labour market. In March, the European Court of Justice decided that Germany could submit people benefiting from subsidiary protection to mandatory residency in a place exclusively determined by the objective of promoting their integration (see EUROPE 11502).
These kinds of "integration contracts" already exist elsewhere in Europe. Since 2002, Austria has been imposing linguistic programmes on all foreigners residing in the country for at least five years. The "republican integration contract" in France reinforces the links between extending leave to remain and respect for certain commitments, particularly the learning of French and respecting national "values". In Sweden, however, the programme accompanying refugees and jobseekers is voluntary.
The European Commission is expected to put forward an integration action plan in April or May, explained Belinda Pyke, the director of Migration Mobility at the Commission, in the middle of last March. This will focus on the different phases of arrival for political and economic migrants, including integration into the labour market and society. The EU already has several integration coordination instruments: the European list of "common principles" defined in 2004, a specific Commission "agenda", national contact point networks and a dedicated website.
At a financial level, the improvement of linguistic skills and access to work will possibly be funded by way of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (ESF). (Original version in French by Nathalie Steiwer)