German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition agreed Thursday on tough measures to spur the integration of migrants and refugees, including sanctions for failing to take part in programs such as language classes.
The deal, hammered out in six hours of late-night talks between Merkel’s conservative Christian Union bloc and the Social Democrats (SPD), also included plans for new anti-terror legislation.
The integration bill would take a carrot-and-stick approach, providing subsidized courses to help newcomers find their way in German life but, in some cases, denying residence permits to those who fail to take up the offer.
“Germany now has an integration law, 50 years after the start of immigration,” tweeted the leader of the SPD’s parliamentary group, Thomas Oppermann.