Annual Report 2024
The SVR Annual Report Summary 2024 can be downloaded here.
The press release can be downloaded here.
The ten core messages of the Annual Report can be downloaded here.
Developments in migration and integration policies over the last five years have been characterised by very high numbers of people seeking protection and the pressures this entails, a growing need for labour from third countries and an intensification of political debates and proliferation of proposed solutions. German legislators and the responsible public authorities have responded with numerous measures. Efforts to reform the Common European Asylum System, which had been stuck for years, finally resulted in agreement at European Union level.
Between openness and restriction: A review of the last five years
Migration and integration has been one of the most dynamic policy areas over the past five years. The SVR’s analysis shows that although public debate was at times very heated and created political pressure for action, the direction of travel of policy and legislation remained largely unchanged. However, there was also a shift in emphasis in certain areas. Integration and migration policy was characterised by the struggle for a balance between openness and restriction, between promoting integration and controlling immigration.
European refugee and asylum policy: Implementation is the key
In Europe, an average of just over 750,000 people per year applied for international protection between 2015 and 2022. Against this backdrop, European legislature agreed on a reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) after many years of political deadlock. There is widespread agreement that reform of this system is long overdue and that coordination at the European level is essential for the sustainable management of refugee migration in Europe. However, it will be crucial that the planned new management instruments are effective in practice. In particular, human rights and refugee standards must be upheld at all costs, for example in the case of accelerated asylum procedures at the EU’s external borders.
Forced displacement to Germany: Balance between return and integration
The Russian attack on Ukraine, in violation of international law, has triggered the largest movement of refugees within Europe since the Second World War. Since then, four million war refugees from Ukraine have found protection in the European Union, more than a quarter of them being taken in by Germany.
With the rising number of people seeking protection and the increasing strain this puts on local authorities in particular, the public debate has become more heated and the political pressure to act has grown. Germany has performed a balancing act in its asylum policy in recent years. Repatriation measures have been combined with integration support programmes. However, in the opinion of the SVR, deportations should only be carried out as a last resort; effective migration agreements are more important.
The political will is there to make better use of the potential offered by migrants who are already living in Germany. One relevant measure is the Opportunity Residence Act. This is aimed at foreign nationals who are in fact required to leave the country but who have tolerated stay status. In future, they will be given the opportunity to obtain regular residence status by demonstrating integration efforts and taking up gainful employment. The SVR supports this development from an integration policy perspective. However, the distinction between asylum and labour migration must not be further blurred.
Germany as a country of immigration: Labour market opened up further, naturalisation made easier
Labour migration has been relatively liberalised in response to the labour shortages caused and exacerbated by demographic factors. In the context of the further development of skilled worker immigration, the SVR welcomes the fact that the labour market will also be opened up to people who do not have recognised qualifications that comply with German standards. However, it also urges caution. Worker protection must not be weakened. This applies in particular to the low-wage sector. The rules are also complex and could be challenging for authorities to implement.
The reform of the citizenship law in early 2024 will remove major hurdles to naturalisation, in particular through the acceptance in principle of multiple nationalities. However, in order to maximise the potential of the new law, the relevant authorities must be able to keep pace with its implementation. In the SVR’s view, the failure to find a solution for stateless persons is a missed opportunity. The SVR also recommends that further consideration be given to how the disadvantages of an unrestricted transfer of German citizenship across generations can be avoided.
Practical implementation: Cutting red tape, making laws easier to understand
Politicians have initiated an extraordinary number of changes in the area of migration and integration. At the same time, federal and state administrations often implement laws too slowly and bureaucratically.
In line with its mandate, the SVR analyses the empirical and political developments of the last five years in detail in its Annual Report 2024. It contextualises developments in this field, evaluates them and analyses possible shortcomings. The most important findings are summarised in the core messages.
