1 MILLION NEW GERMANS UNDER REVISED CITIZENSHIP LAW?
German authorities expect about 1 million registrations of new citizens next year, following the overhaul of its citizenship laws.
The controversial law, introduced against massive protest from the right-wing Christian Democratic Parties, CDU and CSU, amounts to a departure from the principle of jus sanguinis which was a distinguishing feature of German citizenship law since the foundation of the German state back in the 19th century. According to this principle, German nationality is linked to blood ties. Consequently, German citizenship was long far easier to obtain for Russian immigrants who were lucky enough to have a German among their ancestors, than for the Turkish immigrants who had lived in Germany for many years and for their children born in Germany.
The new law allows children to have the nationalities of each of their parents and a German passport until age 23, when they have to opt for one citizenship. The period for naturalisation for adults was cut from 15 to 8 years.
Source: AP, Berlin, 25.10.99.