The attention of the political elite of the state of Berlin to integration problems is not accidental: perhaps in no other major city of the Federal Republic do so many people with foreign passports live. Practically every eighth resident of the capital is a foreigner.
It was Wowereit who voiced an unexpected proposal by the city authorities at the forum. The Berlin Senate intends to come forward with an initiative this year to grant voting rights at the municipal level to those residents of the country who do not have a German passport and are not citizens of the European Union. It is expected that Berlin will submit this bill to the Bundesrat for discussion immediately after the summer break.
Klaus Wowereit gave a harsh rebuff at the summit to those who today preach a 'different approach' to world religions represented in Berlin. 'Free expression of one's religious feelings in a city open to the world is a matter of course,' the Social Democrat emphasized. This, in his opinion, primarily concerns the construction of places of worship. Returning to the loud socio-political discussion about the construction of a mosque in the Pankow district by the Ahmadiyya community, Wowereit noted that 'whoever builds such things in Berlin has a future here.' The politician believes it is 'ridiculous and shameful' to hinder people striving for their religion.
Unfortunately, according to many participants of the meeting, there is no particular reason for optimism regarding the successful integration of foreign residents of Berlin at present. Every year the Senate reduces funding for integration projects. Even the best work concept under such circumstances is unlikely to bring success.
However, positive signals were also heard at the meeting. As experts noted, 30 years ago one could count on one's fingers the number of gymnasium graduates with foreign roots. Now this number reaches 800 people annually.
As a successful example of integration, Berlin politicians note the activity of migrants in the business sphere. According to some estimates, there are more than 5,500 businesses in the capital owned by people of Turkish origin. To these can be added another 22,000 self-employed entrepreneurs with migration roots working in the capital's economy. These people have created over 70,000 jobs to date.
A problem remains the attraction of migrants to public service – for example, the police. Here their number is minimal, and the city's efforts in this direction are clearly insufficient. Only 0.25% of the staff of Berlin's senate and district institutions are from other countries. As State Secretary of the Senate Department for Labor Kerstin Liebig emphasized, this quota should be raised to at least 7%.
The summit participants noted that much of the responsibility for successful integration into society lies with the migrants themselves. Active learning of the German language, striving to find a place for vocational training or work are the keys to normal entry of people into German society. Klaus Wowereit stated this clearly. 'Stay multilingual, but remember that without the German language you will not get ahead,' the politician addressed young people with migration roots, concluding the meeting.
Vladimir GUSHCHIN.
Russkaya Germaniya