Over 1.1 million migrants living in Germany do not wish to integrate into German society
Thus, 10 to 15% of migrants permanently residing in the country (and this is currently over 1.1 million people, with the flow of immigrants not abating) barely speak German, do not attend integration courses, isolate themselves from German society, and do not recognize the German state.
Apparently, having realized that he went too far in negative assessments, de Maizière immediately paid tribute to political correctness, calling such a balance "contradictory", stating that "the other 90% of migrants show a completely different picture" (i.e., they are successfully integrating), and "compared to other countries, the figure of 10-15% of those unwilling to integrate is not so bad."
Let us not judge how good or bad such a balance is. But what does the new 200-page program, developed by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), offer?
According to de Maizière, "it provides for close cooperation between federal, state and municipal authorities, and the main emphasis is on migrants' knowledge of the German language, increasing their chances of obtaining education, and intensifying their participation in public life."
Again, let us not quibble over words and jump to the conclusion that the previous program of the Schröder government did not provide for all this. But what is new, pardon the tautology, in the new government program?
One of its points is indeed innovative: the program provides for the application of sanctions: not extending the period of stay in the country and reducing the amount of Hartz IV benefits for those who do not attend integration courses. As the Interior Minister noted in this regard, "about 30% of migrants who enroll in such courses drop out, and 15% of migrant children drop out of school, while among their German peers this figure does not exceed 6.2%."
But having said that, the minister immediately made another "curtsey", stating that since 2005, when integration courses were introduced with 600 hours of classes on German, history and the basics of Germany's social and legal system, more than 600,000 people have attended them. And while supporting the proposal for the earliest possible introduction of a German language test, de Maizière rejected the idea of obliging migrants to send their children to kindergartens: "This would be a gross violation of parents' right to upbringing," he explained his position.
When the program will start working – only God knows: it is currently being sent for coordination to all relevant federal and state ministries, as well as to municipalities. And bureaucratic red tape has long been a byword. Therefore, it is hard to believe the statement of the head of BAMF, Albert Schmid, that with the adoption of the new program, all problems of migrant integration will be solved in five to six years.
According to prominent economists, Germany needs to change its migration policy itself. According to the head of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), Klaus Zimmermann, as a result of population aging, the country has already felt a shortage of labor. And for the economy to develop efficiently, it needs an influx of skilled migrants of at least 500,000 people per year.
But the current situation requires the development of long-term migration programs – such as those in Australia or Canada, which, however, are not being done. Why? As Bonn political scientist Gerd Langguth believes, the impression is that the ruling parties lack a clear concept on migration issues.
Sergei DEBRER.
