SPD members are growing increasingly upset over the Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt’s unexpectedly abrupt cut‑back plan for integration courses.
In a letter from the SPD parliamentary group’s leadership to its members, the group denounced the “halt on enrolments for voluntary participants” that the ministry implemented without consulting the SPD faction. The letter, picked up by the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, the NDR, and the WDR, called the decision “wrong on integration, societal and labour‑market grounds”. The SPD argues that integration and a functioning migration system hinge on keeping language and integration courses available for all who wish to take them.
The criticism is voiced openly by senior SPD politicians. MP Hakan Demir called the Interior Ministry’s unilateral decision a “foul play” and warned that the last word had not yet been spoken. “We cannot accept this” he said. SPD shadow minister for integration Sonja Eichwede echoed his concerns, stressing that it is especially important for voluntary participants to keep access to these courses for successful integration into German society and the labour market.
In Berlin, the minister’s coalition partner – the CDU/CSU – strongly supports Dobrindt. Armin Schuster, Saxony’s interior minister, said Dobrindt was “rightfully” pulling integration funding back to its fundamentals. “We need to target support for those who have a realistic prospect of staying in Germany” Schuster said. He added that the government had long been sending the wrong signals to rejected asylum seekers who “must leave the country”.
A confidential crisis meeting was held later that Wednesday evening with a wider group of senior officials. After the discussion the mood was still uncertain. SPD representatives in the Interior and Finance ministries will continue to probe whether other parts of the federal budget can be trimmed to preserve most of the integration courses. Under Dobrindt’s draft, as soon as the reforms go into effect, the state will no longer routinely finance courses for asylum seekers, temporarily protected persons, recent Ukrainian arrivals, or EU citizens. Only those with successful asylum procedures or clear prospects for long‑term residence would receive federal subsidy for integration courses.
