What is a coalition agreement?
In a coalition agreement parties agree on certain goals that they want tothat they want to implement in a government. After the Bundestag elections on February 23, 2025, the CDU/CSU, which won the elections, and its potential coalition partner, the SPD, held talks on the formation of a possible federal government. The two parties have now agreed on common points under the heading "Responsibility for Germany", including in the areas of migration and foreign policy.
Dhe coalition agreement as PDF for you to download.
When does the coalition agreement apply?
The coalition agreement comes into force when a new Federal Chancellor is elected and the government is subsequently sworn in. On May 6, 2025, according to ARD it is planned that Friedrich Merz will be elected as the new Federal Chancellor.
The coalition agreement is a summary of objectives. The coalition agreement is not a law and every plan must achieve a majority in the new Bundestag. Only then is it legally binding. Before that, they are the goals of a government without any legal binding force.
Changes for family reunification and federal admission program
The coalition agreement between the CDU and SPD provides for changes in the areas of the federal admission program and parts of family reunification. The changes to family reunification affect those entitled to subsidiary protection. In the following paragraph, we explain the new features.
Termination of federal admission programs
Federal admission programs such as the Afghanistan federal admission programwhich has been in place since October 17, 2022, are to be ended according to the new coalition agreement be terminated and no new admission programs in a similar form are to be created.
Innovations in the coalition agreement for family reunification
On the family reunification the coalition agreement introduces changes for one group of people. The new coalition agreement stipulates that family reunification for persons entitled to subsidiary protection will be be suspended for a limited period of 2 years (reunification not possible). Hardship cases are not to be affected by this.
As a beneficiary of subsidiary protection you currently have a limit of 1000 family reunifications per month due to a regulation from 2018. In 2027, it will be reviewedwhether the suspension of family reunification for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection will be extended or whether the current status (1000 family reunifications per month) will return.
Naturalization in the coalition agreement
One part of the coalition agreement involves changes to the topic of Naturalization . It is the Naturalization after 3 years, which only work for spouses of Germans. would work. In this section, we explain what Naturalization after 3 years will look like under the new coalition agreement and how Naturalization after 5 years or dual citizenship will work.
Naturalization after 3 years according to the coalition agreement
The Naturalization after 3 years will in future only be possible for spouses of German citizens, according to the coalition agreement. The current regulation according to § 10 StAG with a C1 language certificate and special integration achievements would no longer apply with a possible new law.
Naturalization after 5 years according to the coalition agreement
The Naturalization after 5 yearswhich is part of the new naturalization law, remains in place. According to the new coalition agreement, you can therefore be naturalized after 5 years, as is currently the case, if you meet all the requirements for Naturalization naturalization.
Dual citizenship in the coalition agreement
As with Naturalization after 5 years, nothing changes for you with dual citizenship. The dual citizenship remains legally recognized in Germany. If your country of origin recognizes dual citizenship, then Naturalization with dual citizenship will work for you.
Changes to immigration and deportation
The fundamental right to asylum according to § 16a paragraph 1 GG remains in force and Germany should be a open-minded and immigration-friendly country. country. Integration through qualified immigration should also be promoted. The aim is to reduce illegal migration, promote legal immigration and generally control migration. Migration agreements and the existing CEAS reform should play an important role in this.
Migration agreement and Western Balkans regulation
Regular migration to Germany under the Western Balkans regulation, which has been in force since January 1, 2021, is to be limited to limited to 25,000 people per year. be limited. The Western Balkans regulation gives people from the 6 Western Balkan states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) privileged access to the German labor market.
Rejection at national borders
The agreements in the coalition agreement stipulate that there will be refoulement at national borders in the event of attempted illegal immigration at the national borders. To this end, border controls are to be continued at all German borders until external border protection functions better and the existing Dublin and CEAS regulations are fulfilled.
The coalition agreement also includes expanding the list of safe countries of origin. The plan is to start with the classification of Algeria, India, Morocco and Tunisia. A Classification of further countries of origin are to be classified in accordance with the GEAS reform. This should particularly affect countries that have had an asylum recognition rate of less than 5% in Germany in the last 5 years.
The GEAS reform (Common European Asylum System) came into force on June 11, 2024 and is intended to manage and better organize migration. At the same time, humanitarian standards for refugees are to be adhered to and secondary migration (moving on to other EU member states) is to be reduced.
Expulsion for serious offenses
According to the new coalition agreement between the CDU and SPD, serious criminal offenses deportation is to take place. If you commit murder, grievous bodily harm, crimes against sexual self-determination, incitement to hatred, assaulting police officers or committing anti-Semitic crimes, you could be deported.
A similar procedure is also being considered for public calls to abolish the free and democratic basic order.
Repatriation in the event of negative asylum procedures
Rejected asylum seekers are also to be returned. This concerns asylum seekers whose application is finally rejected rejected. The coalition agreement provides for better support for voluntary return and for incentives and return counseling to be strengthened. Furthermore, development cooperation, the issuing of visas and economic and trade relations with countries of origin are to be strengthened in order to facilitate a faster process.
The regulations in the coalition agreement on repatriation are not new. The existing law applies. Due to long waiting times for asylum decisions, there are now various options for obtaining temporary residence rights. More on this in the section below on the right to stay.
Speeding up asylum procedures
The coalition agreement stipulates that asylum procedures should be faster. The aim is to digitalization of the authorities and to expand the central register of foreigners and improve data exchange. This should prevent long waiting times for asylum procedures.
Integration in the coalition agreement
Alongside migration, integration is the second core area in the integration and migration section of the coalition agreement. Here, the potential coalition partners CDU/CSU and SPD want to improve social cohesion in Germany in the area of integration courses and the right to stay. improve social cohesion in Germany.
Promoting integration through better access to services
The aim of promoting integration is to facilitate access to social opportunities. At the same time, however, integration is also to be demanded more intensively. Integration courses are to be continued, language daycare centers reintroduced and the Startchancen program extended to daycare centers. The aim is to promote integration from an early age. There should also be a binding integration agreement that sets out obligations and rights.
Creation of a new right of residence as a right to stay
The new coalition agreement provides for tolerated foreigners who do not yet meet the requirements of §§ 25a and 25b AufenthG, to create a temporary Residence permit . The following conditions must be fulfilled:
You have sufficient language skills (B1 level).
You have been in an existing employment relationship subject to social insurance contributions for more than 12 months.
You can support yourself and your family mainly (51%) without state assistance.
Their identity has been clarified.
You have resided in Germany for at least 4 years by 31.12.2024.
You have a tolerated status.
The regulation for this new Residence permit is to apply until 31.12.2027.
Other important changes in the coalition agreement
Apart from the topic of migration and integration, the new coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and SPD brings further changes. Among other things, they concern the the future of the citizen's incomewhich is to be subject to stricter conditions, and the issue of pensions with the introduction of the mothers' pension.
Citizen's income in the coalition agreement
The conditions for receiving the previous citizen's allowance are to become much stricter than at present. In addition, these benefits are to be called "basic income support for jobseekers" in future. The obligation to cooperate is to be strengthened and if people repeatedly refuse reasonable employment, the coalition agreement states that it should be possible to withdraw benefits completely.
The topic of pensions in the coalition agreement
The current pension level, which stands at 48 percent according to the coalition agreement legally binding until the year 2031. be legally binding. It is to be financed by the federal budget.
A new mothers' pension with 3 pension points is to be introduced for all mothers. The year of birth of the children is irrelevant. Here too, funding will come from the federal budget. A so-called active pension is also to be introduced for people who would like to work beyond their retirement age and are able to do so. The active pension is intended to enable these people to earn an additional €2,000 tax-free every month.
Conclusion on the coalition agreement
The coalition agreement brings some changes, particularly in Immigration law , for example with the planned introduction of a new residence permit for tolerated persons who are not yet eligible for §§ 25a or 25b AufenthG, or the suspension of family reunification for persons entitled to subsidiary protection.
The changes to naturalization law are manageable and only affect Naturalization after 3 years. Dual citizenship and Naturalization after 5 years will not change.
FAQ - The most important questions and answers on migration in the coalition agreement
A coalition agreement is the agreement is the definition of goals by two or more parties within a period of government. It is an agreement that is drawn up jointly by the respective parties. Points from the coalition agreement are only legally binding once they have been adopted by the majority of the Bundestag.
The coalition agreement comes into force when the Federal Chancellor is elected and the Federal Government is subsequently sworn in. takes place. According to the plans of the CDU/CSU and SPD, the Coalition Agreement 2025 will enter into force on May 6. 2025, when the Federal Chancellor has been elected and the government is in office.
The coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and SPD provides for the family reunification for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection is suspended for 2 years. will be suspended. In 2027, it will then be reviewed whether a suspension is still necessary or not.
Naturalization after 3 years According to the coalition agreement only apply to spouses of German citizens. apply. Naturalization after 3 years with a C1 certificate and special integration achievements will no longer be possible in future. Naturalization after 5 years will remain the same as dual citizenship.
In the coalition agreement, the CDU/CSU and SPD plan to create better starting opportunities for those entitled to stay by offering more efficient and targeted integration services. For well-integrated tolerated personswho are not yet able to apply for a Residence permit under Section 25a or Section 25b AufenthG, a new Residence permit is to be created.
