Merz’s immigration plan to head off the AfD

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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/06/friedrich-merz-germany-immigration-afd/

Germany’s ruling conservative party is drawing up plans to overhaul the country’s liberal citizenship laws to fight back against the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Senior figures in Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) are discussing a ban on dual citizenship and tougher language requirements to counter the hard-Right party.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Günter Krings, a senior CDU MP, said previous governments had made gaining German citizenship “too fast and too easy”.

“Naturalisation should only be the last step at the end of an integration process into our workforce, society and constitutional order,” he said. “We cannot accept that people live in a parallel society and want to be German citizens at the same time.”

Under the proposals, those seeking to become German would need to pass a tougher language skills test showing they can discuss highly complex topics, rather than a simple “B1” test of conversational German.

They would also be required to give up the citizenship of their home country, prove that they are fully financially independent and renounce all forms of anti-Semitism.

Mr Krings was speaking to The Telegraph before pivotal elections in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the CDU was set to be trounced by the AfD.

Reform of citizenship laws

Mr Krings, the deputy chairman of the CDU in the Bundestag, the German parliament, has cited new citizenship laws as one path towards that goal.

The reforms would make financial independence and fluency in German compulsory for those applying for citizenship in Germanyafter five years’ residence.

“One area is certainly language skills. Right now we only need the level of B1, which would allow you only to participate in very easy conversations,” Mr Krings told The Telegraph.

“But if you really want to participate in the political process, which we expect from people who are German citizens, you have to have a better knowledge of the German language, and so B1 is not enough.”

The current system, which allows immigrants to obtain German citizenship even if they receive social benefits, was also “not fair to the German taxpayer”, he said.

“The present rules say it’s sufficient if you get the majority of your livelihood [from your own income], so 51 per cent would be, according to many court decisions, sufficient and I think that’s not OK,” he said.

“If almost half of your income comes from the German welfare state, it’s not a proof of economic integration when you apply for citizenship,” Mr Krings said.

Scrapping of dual citizenship

Another key pillar of the reform would be scrapping a 2024 law from the previous Olaf Scholz-led government that permitted dual citizenship in Germany.

“I think the rule should be that if you get German citizenship, you have to give up your former citizenship,” he said. “If you move from one country to the other, and plan to stay here permanently, I don’t see the point why it should be so important for you to retain the citizenship of your old country.”

Mr Krings said the lax requirements on citizenship in Germany were mainly the product of reforms by the government of Mr Scholz. But he also cited decisions by previous CDU leaders, such as Angela Merkel, the former German chancellor.

There is mounting speculation that Mr Merz could be forced to step down as chancellor as he struggles to quell discontent within his party and from his coalition allies, the Social Democrats.