Integration Blues

Days before an integration summit called by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and meant to explore ways to ease the assimilation of Germany's estimated 15 million immigrants, two Turkish groups have threatened to boycott talks.

They argue that the recent tightening of Germany's immigration law -- in particular a clause that states foreigners who wants to bring their spouse to Germany must be able to prove that the spouse is can speak basic German and is financially independent -- is discriminatory because the rules do not apply to Germans wishing to bring a foreign spouse into the country. The German government has said the restrictions are aimed at preventing forced marriages in its Turkish community and countering the development of parallel societies.

DW-RADIO spoke with Maria Böhmer, Germany's commissioner for integration and a member of Chancellor Merkel's Christian Democratic Party (CDU) about the sticking points.

DW-RADIO: The changes to the immigration law have been strongly criticized by some Turkish groups. Faruk Sen, head of the Center for Turkish Studies in Essen says these changes could trigger racism. Do you share his opinion?

Maria Böhmer: I don't accept that criticism. This new law includes many elements that help integration. For instance, when it comes to learning the German language ´-- the integration courses in Germany as well as learning German in immigrants' own countries before coming to Germany. I think that some Turkish groups are creating fears by giving the impression that you have to be able to speak perfect German if you want to come to Germany. But it's only about being able to speak simple sentences in German. All that's needed is a vocabulary of some 200 to 300 words. That in particular helps women who come to Germany to be able to go shopping, go to the doctor or exchange a few words with a neighbor. Naturally, we hope that they will expand their knowledge of German once they are here.

According to the immigration law, immigrants who have a temporary residence permit are now given two years to find work and to fund themselves. There are estimated to be around 180,000 immigrants who fall in that category in Germany. What will happen to these people if they fail to find work? Will they be sent back to Turkey or wherever they are from?

No, what's important that we have taken a significant step forward with the first regulation of its kind across Germany that allows these people to work in the county. That didn't exist earlier. And that's why it's an important step towards integrating all people who have lived for years in Germany with a temporary residence permit but whose children have gone to school here and have finished with good grades. We want to acknowledge that. The labor market in Germany is developing positively and that's raised the chances of finding work here. I want to encourage these immigrants to go down this path and actively seek work.

You said it's good for Turkish women to speak a bit of German before they come to Germany. But who decides what "a bit of German" is? Do these hopeful immigrants have to pass a language test before they enter the country?

Those who can already speak German -- and there are quite a few in Turkey -- won't have to go through any language test if they already have a school diploma and can prove they learned German at school. For everyone else, we have to still agree on a procedure that will check if they can speak simple sentences in German. Of course there are different ways to learn German. You can participate in a language course, but there are also possibilities to learn it through watching television or on the Internet. And you can also pick up German from relatives and friends who have returned from Germany.

The integration courses offered by the government in Germany are also controversial. According to the new changes in the law, those who don't participate in these courses can be penalized and would have to pay 1,000 euros ($1,362). But how often will the government resort to that? Will the government revoke a person's residency permit if he or she refuses to attend a course three times?

That's a wrong way of seeing the integration courses, which really are a fantastic opportunity. Many immigrants to Germany who are obliged to attend these courses have done so. Two thirds of them have been women. But the "sanctions" you're referring to only apply to those who stubbornly refuse to attend them. I'd like to cite an example here. All those who can work in Germany but who fail to get any because of their poor grasp of German will receive a warning from the labor office to attend a language course. That's exactly what happens to a German national who, for instance, may have poor computer skills and fails to get a job because of it. The aim is to push people to attend courses so that they can fend for themselves and their families. The German who refuses to attend computer lessons will also have to reckon with the fact that his welfare benefits will be cut. So the law makes no distinction between Germans and immigrants.

Some Turkish groups have threatened to boycott the upcoming integration summit. What do you think of their stance?

I was very surprised to hear that because those same groups worked intensively earlier on the national integration plan and told me last week that it helped the integration of immigrants. Those who don't accept the invitation to the summit and to talk with us aren't solving the problem. Instead they're leaving in the lurch the people who need to be integrated the most -- the second and third generation of Turkish immigrants.