Speech by Aydan Oezoguz Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration at the BSPC Working Group on Migration and Integration

Speech by Aydan ÖzoğuzFederal Government Commissionerfor Migration, Refugees and Integrationat the BSPC Working Group on Migration and IntegrationPresident Veit,Distinguished colleagues,Ladies and gentlemen,Thank you very much President Veit for the invitation. It’s an honour to speak to you at this first meeting of the working group on migration and integration.The BSPC’s decision to focus on migration and integration is a timely and well-chosen signal. A signal that underlines the urgency of a challenge we all are facing at this very moment. I think all parliaments in the member states agree that these issues have a significant influence on our politics, our economies and our societies, as well as our day-to-day lives – today and in the future.And that’s the case in the history of the Baltic Sea:It was the Baltic Sea region where one of the most influential migration processes in human history started: The so-called Migration gentium or “Völkerwanderung” as we call it. In the first millennium BC tribes from southern Scandinavia and northern Germany started moving out of their ancestral territories to settle in the west and the south. This process intensified in the following centuries, culminating in the so called Barbarian invasions, which changed the face of Europe in a most significant way. Nowadays we know that this migration period was not half as barbaric and warlike as most people think. While there was conflict, there were also cooperation and exchange between different groups of migrants and locals. An exchange that would stimulate trade, science and art.Hamburg is a great example for the linkage between trade and migration:Let’s remind ourselves of the Hanseatic League, that connected our region from the twelfth century and made Hamburg wealthy. Hamburg imported salted herrings from Sweden and dried fish from Norway. It imported furs, wax and timber from Russia and grain from Mecklenburg – because Hamburg was the most important centre for beer brewing at that time. In turn, the beer from Hamburg – and of course other goods – found a ready market in the Baltic Sea region.Back then, the migration between our regions also increased: The booming cities along the Baltic Sea experienced a strong rise in appeal, which we would describe as a pull factor today. For example, a lot of people from Bremen migrated to the Baltic Sea region in the 14th century. Sweden established special rules for German immigrants that came in order to work as traders, merchants and warehousemen. In the Russian City of Nowgorod, Germans even founded their own marketplace with almost 1.000 people, which was an incredibly big scale back then.We have all benefited from trade, exchange, and migration within the Baltic Sea region during the last centuries.It’s therefore all the more astonishing that we tend to forget that migration is the rule, not the exception. Migration has been normal in the history of Germany and in all societies of the BSPC. Let me point out some numbers that will underline this from Germany’s perspective:In the late 19th century, hundreds of thousands of Polish people came to the mining industry in the Ruhr District. And after the Second World War, we managed to settle 12.5 million displaced persons from the former eastern territories of the German Reich.Starting in 1955, 14 million so called »guest« and contract workers were recruited to Germany, more than 3 million of whom settled and started families here. More than 350,000 refugees came during the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s. Immigration from EU countries increased in the 1990s and following the EU’s eastward enlargement in 2004 because of the right of free movement. For example, there were influxes of 900,000 people in both 2014 and 2015. We don’t really talk about them these days because at the same time in 2015, over 1.3 million people, mostly from Syria, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, have sought protection in Germany.Nonetheless: We should not forget that in the same period, millions of people also moved away from Germany. Most of them were former immigrants. Since 1991, for example, between 600,000 and one million people have left each year.With regard to the countries of the Baltic Sea: today more than 1.9 million people with a Polish background live in Germany. Some 400,000 of them were born here. People of Polish descent are the second largest group of people with a diverse background in Germany. The third largest group are men and women with a Russian background, 1.2 million people.By stating these numbers, I want to make clear that our work and politics should not be marked by fear. The challenges of migration and integration are not totally new.Yes, we do need more integration and social participation in German society. First, we expect a lot from people who have come to our country: We expect them to learn our difficult language, to show some interest in our culture, and of course to respect our rules. But integration is not only a challenge for migrants and their descendants. It is a challenge for all 82 million people in Germany.We have to shape societies in which we can all live together peacefully; we have to develop our societies into communities that offer a future to all their members: it is about graduating from school, professional education or integration into the labour market; for each and every individual.When I took office in January 2014, we had a strong focus on dealing with the extensive abolishment of the so called “Optionspflicht” – which could simply be described as a national law that forces young people with foreign parents to decide between the German or their parents citizenship when they turn 18 years old. Exceptions are for example EU members. Which meant that Polish people could have dual citizenship but Russian not. It had been a highly disputed matter during the earlier coalition talks. Then, as a member of the Federal Government, my team and I were able to change this matter together with the minister of justice.Furthermore, Germany back then registered a high number of people from Bulgaria and Romania coming to the country. It caused a debate under the buzzword poverty migration. Many of these people from Eastern Europe came to already financially strapped communes in Germany, for example North Rhine-Westphalia or Berlin, and started to settle in houses that were in a very bad state. Sometimes 5 to 7 people in only one room. The neighborhood did not accept what was going on there. So we had to find ways to close down this kind of irregular migration.But of course, the most challenging topic in the last years – the arrival and integration of high numbers of refugees – was still lying ahead of us. We already noticed and monitored the rising numbers of refugees in 2014 and started initiatives to support the many volunteer helpers in our country. I even had a Christmas reception in 2014 for a few hundred volunteers in order to say thank you and exchange thoughts.And of course, my office and I have actively accompanied the developments in the following years, when more and more people came to Germany after Chancellor Merkel made her decision to receive those who were stranded in Hungary in the summer of 2015.My team and me, we were able to support the legislative processes as well as the very practical challenges that came along with integrating the refugees. We continued and enlarged a project for training and advising volunteers working in the field of integration. Volunteers have always been an important pillar of helping and integrating refugees.Other focal points of my work are the integration of refugees into sports, projects with migrant organizations and mosque communities as well as the empowerment of female refugees.We have to admit, that the arrival of so many refugees has bound a lot of force and resources – which sometimes eclipsed other ongoing processes of integration. We still have to deal with those that did not come as refugees but subsequently as spouses, those who came as students or workers, and also do not forget about the problems and needs of those that have lived here over one or two generations.Many people with a diverse background do not have the same chances even though they have lived here for years or were born in Germany. This is due to names that do not sound German, an appearance that is different to what some people define as German or the educational background of their parents.To change this, I foster the dialogue between the civil society and the Federal Government. Once a year I invite representatives of civil society and especially of migrant organisations to talk with the German Chancellor and the federal ministers about a special subject of current challenges. These “Integration Summits” have become an important element in German integration policy.Since last year the Office for the Equal Treatment of EU Workers has become part of my remit. I am glad that we managed to get this office successfully in place, because the right to free movement for workers and their equal treatment is an essential part of our European identity. We all know that our progress in this respect is not yet satisfying.Additionally, the fight against any kind of xenophobia and hatred, such as racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or Islamism are part of my work. Sadly, the work in these fields has become more and more important in the last years.I presume you have experienced similar developments in your own countries.No society is immune to xenophobia, no society is immune to radicalism, no society is immune to hatred. As sad as it may be – these attitudes exist in every society. What is new is the scope of the right-wing populist threat we are facing as democrats. In my opinion there are two key elements that help these political arsonists gain ground at the moment: On the one hand the popularity of an anti-establishment rhetoric that can easily be exploited by anti-democrats. On the other hand, the public discourse about migration and integration, which can all too easily be influenced by generalizations and lies.We have to address both problems to turn the tide. Otherwise, more and more people will turn away from liberal democracy in their search for simple but false answers to complex questions. We see these tendencies already all across Europe, populist parties gain more and more influence. Sometimes they are already part of government coalitions or even lead the government. In addition, of course we all have now to deal with the results of the harsh and confrontational discussion before the Brexit-Referendum.There are strong concerns in parts of German society as well. People feel overwhelmed by immigrants. Some fear what they call Islamisation, even though Islam has been a part of Germany’s reality for more than fifty years – and there are less than 5% Muslims in Germany. Most of the fears are based on subjective perceptions, fake news and right-wing propaganda. We have to take this development seriously. The way we handle diversity and equal participation is an indicator of the state of our democracy, social peace and security. This development shows how deeply divided our society is and that many people feel left behind.So please allow me to share some of my thoughts on the matter with this working group:When it comes to migration, we are facing an extremely emotional debate, which makes it a lot more difficult to talk about facts and find solutions.Let us focus more on the fact that history shows that migration and diversity had benefits for all members of society. If people understand the rules for migration, and that we have and are convinced that everything is under control, problems and fears will be less than in the situation of 2015. Therefore, we need Immigration laws that make immigration more transparent. In addition, with regard to refugee politics, we need a European agreement about how to deal with such situations in the future. I am convinced that a fair distribution key could help all of us.In addition, we have to consider that fields of migration and integration are complex and constantly changing. Let us stop trying to make it seem easy. The circumstances of the last two years have made us reduce the topic of migration and integration to refugees and measures for this group. We tend to forget that we already have a diverse society with many challenges that also need our attention.Allow me to add this point: terrorism will not stop if we treat refugees or migrants badly or make it as hard as possible for them to integrate into a society.Last but not least: let us not stop searching for data and facts that help to make migration and integration explainable and understandable. The better we comprehend the better we can explain what we do. Moreover, that will make it much more difficult for demagogues to sell their stories to the public.Thank you very much for your attention. I am looking forward to the discussion with you.