The German PEN Centre, in collaboration with the Federal Government, launches the Writers in Exile programme. The program seeks to help writers who are persecuted in their own countries by offering them grants to start a new life in Germany.
The revised Citizenship Law comes into effect. Children born in Germany to non-national parents are now granted German citizenship, as long as one parent has lived in Germany continuously for a period of at least eight years. However, should the individual also hold the citizenship of a parent or parents, he or she must choose one nationality before turning 23.
The federal Ministries of the Interior and Justice establish the Alliance for Democracy and Tolerance - against Extremism and Violence. The organisation aims to publicly promote a civic commitment to democracy and tolerance in Germany as part of a broader network of similar initiatives.
The United Nations General Assembly declares 20 June World Refugee Day The "Regulation on Residency Permits for Highly Qualified Foreign Workers in Information and Communications Technology" comes into effect. This renewed policy of foreign recruitment, also termed the "green card initiative", is launched by Gerhard Schröder's (SPD) government and also spawns a new debate on approaches to immigration.
The Federal Government sets up the Independent Immigration Commission (known as the "Süssmuth Commission). It is tasked with providing recommendations for simplifying legislation affecting foreigners. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) presents his report on The State of the World's Refugees. According to the report, there are, as of 2001, 15 million refugees worldwide, and another 20 to 25 million people displaced within their own countries. These are people who have been violently uprooted from their native and legally-established places of residence and who have sought santuary in another region without leaving their home country.
The "Süssmuth Commission" presents its findings. The report states that "Germany is, in reality, an immigration country" and, furthermore, "immigration has become a central public theme. The recognition of the reality of the situation has replaced a taboo approach.
Federal President Johannes Rau, standing next to the German flag at "Ground Zero" on 12 November 2001, signs the memorial plaque for the international victims of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on 11 September.
Bundesregierung / Photographer: Christian Stutterheim
Attack on the World Trade Center in New York. After the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington and the subsequent change in the global political climate, the debate on immigration becomes increasingly focused on security concerns, to the detriment of the notion of immigration as an opportunity.
The Bundestag passes the "Immigration Act" after a previous version was rejected by the Constitutional Court due to a procedural error.
