Germany

No more cash for refugees, but a “credit balance” on a payment card. All federal states have now agreed that from the beginning of 2025, refugees and asylum-seekers throughout Germany are to receive their social benefits via a prepaid debit card and no longer as cash or by bank transfer. The new card will be a “debit card” with credit …

Faced with an aging population and more people living alone, the German government plans to introduce a new legal mechanism to help people in non-romantic relationships to take responsibility for one another. By Helen Whittle The way that people in Germany live, love, parent and age is changing. But the question of who and how to take care of one …

The parliament of Saarland, one of Germany’s 16 federal states, has removed the term “race” from the list of possible grounds for discrimination in the state’s constitution. In future, Article 12 will instead state that no one may be disadvantaged or favoured “on the basis of racial attributions”. “Our constitution is modern, trend-setting and understandable. Today, we are ensuring that …

The Bundesrat, the upper chamber of the federal parliament, has approved two further components of the new migration policy of the governing federal coalition – the laws on faster naturalisation and deportations. The Bundesrat on Friday decided not to refer the citizenship law to the mediation committee. The new law, which was passed by the Bundestag in January, stipulates that …

Almost 54,000 people have now received a residence permit through the right of residence programme (Chancen-Aufenthaltsrecht) introduced just over a year ago by the German government. The amnesty scheme opens up a path to a long-term right of residence for tolerated persons. According to a survey conducted by Mediendienst Integration Service, 75,345 people have applied for a residence permit to …

At the beginning of the year, we informed you about the general changes that will affect people living in Germany in 2024. From February, some changes will come into effect that will affect many areas of life. We have summarised what exactly will change here: —- New regulation for co-payment for medications Anyone who takes a doctor’s prescription to the …

Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament representing Germany on the platform of the Green Party, writes on protest actions being held across Germany against the plan of the right-wing AfD party to deport foreign residents and citizens with migration history —— By Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, MEP Last weekend, more than 1.5 million people demonstrated against the far-right across …

Hundreds of thousands of people, including the Federal Chancellor and the Foreign Minister, took to the streets against the AfD at the weekend. The protest action, held in cities across Germany, was against the revealed plans of the extreme right-wing party AfD to deport refugees and even citizens of foreign origin if it gets into power. The deportation plans were …

The federal parliament has passed a law to make it easier for foreign residents to become German nationals. The new law on citizenship, provides for faster naturalisation. Furthermore, anyone applying for a German passport will no longer have to give up their previous nationality. For people who are dependent on state aid, however, access to citizenship is made more difficult. …

The Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, approved the new “Repatriation Improvement Act” (Rückführungsverbesserungsgesetz) on 18 January. The law provides for a significant tightening of deportation rules. Among other things, the maximum period of pre-deportation custody is to be extended from 10 to 28 days. The number of cases in which public prosecutors are to be involved in deportations from …

An umbrella organisation of Black organisations in Germany, tubman.network, has successful completed the implementation of its ‘Professionalisation-Strategy’ project, aimed at bolstering support for Black communities in Berlin’s district of Mitte. Supported by the District Office Berlin-Mitte, the project addressed crucial challenges such as housing, psychosocial support, employment, access to education, emergency relief, access to health-services with a focus on providing …

Wolfgang Schäuble, one of the most influential figures in German and European politics, has died at the age of 81. A member of the conservative CDU party, he sat in Germany’s federal parliament (Bundestag) for 51 years. The one-time finance minister played a key role in negotiating German reunification after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and is …

The new year brings important changes for people living in Germany. For example, anyone who is dependent on social assistance or citizen’s allowance will receive more money from January. Other changes include an increase in the basic and child allowance, a higher minimum wage, more money for school supplies and the pink paper prescription from the doctor becomes a digital …

Ghana has opened a new dedicated facility in Berlin for the delivery of improved consular services to its citizens and non-citizens planning to visit the West African country in Germany. The Premium Application Centre (PAC) for Visas and Passports should help in providing better services to Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians in Germany and aims to enhance the existing consular services offered …

The bitter cold did not discourage the more than 100 guests from all parts of Germany from converging on Saturday 2 December in the prestigious Robert-Havemann-Hall in Rathaus Mitte in Berlin. They have come to honour The African Network of Germany e.V. (TANG), which celebrated its 10th anniversary with fanfare. TANG is the umbrella group for more than 900 African …

On Thursday evening (30 November 2023), the Vice-President of the German Bundestag, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, presented the German Africa Award 2023 to the 1st National Women’s Convention for Peace in Cameroon at the Allianz Forum in Berlin. The award, which was awarded to a collective for the first time in 30 years, recognises the Women’s Peace Platform’s pioneering work in promoting …

As with every new month, December 2023 brings a number of changes for people living in Germany. Two groups of people can be particularly pleased, as they will receive more money in the new month. Deutsche Post has published tips on when Christmas presents should be sent and the Deutsche Bahn has also published its Winter Timetable. You can find …

German Africa Prize 2023 goes to the Cameroonian women’s peace platform “1st National Women’s Convention for Peace in Cameroon”. The Deutsche Afrika Stiftung e.V. (German Africa Foundation), organisers of the award, has announced. The Prize will be presented to the organisation by the Vice President of the German Bundestag Katrin Göring-Eckhardt at a ceremony on 30 November at the Allianz …

President Bola Tinubu has called for German investment in critical sectors of the Nigerian economy such as power and rail transportation. Tinubu made the call at a meeting with German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, on the sidelines of the G20 Compact with Africa Economic Conference, on Monday in Berlin. The president said that German investment was needed in critical growth-enabling industries …

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria is scheduled to arrive Berlin on Saturday for a three-day official visit to Germany. Among other activities, he will attend the G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) Conference, hosted by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on Monday (20 November). “During the conference, President Tinubu will join other Heads of State and Government of CwA member countries, bilateral …