An interview with Aydan Özoğuz, German Commissioner for Immigration, Refugees and Integration
| Published date | 01 December 2017 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/imig.12404 |
| Date | 01 December 2017 |
An interview with Aydan
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Ozo
guz, German
Commissioner for Immigration, Refugees and
Integration
Ms. Aydan
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Ozo
guz, Minister of State and Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refu-
gees and Integration
Aydan
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Ozo
guz has been the Minister of State and Federal Government Commissioner for Migra-
tion, Refugees, and Integration in Germany since December 2013. Ms.
€
Ozo
guz has served as the
deputy-chair of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) since 2011. She was first elected as a member
of the German Bundestag in 2009, having become a member of the SPD in 2004. From 2001 to
2008, she was a member of the Hamburg state parliament. She received a Magistra Atrium for her
studies in Spanish language and literature, English studies, and human resources management.
International Migration: It wasn’t that long ago that Germany denied that it was a country
of immigration and denied that it needed immigrants. With the new Nationality Law in 2000,
the report of the Immigration Commission in 2001, and the 2005 immigration law, however,
not only did Germany’s immigration rates begin to rise, but official attitudes towards immi-
gration changed in ways that are still visible today. Now Germany is the destination for the
second largest number of migrants in the world, second only to the United States. Why has
Germany taken in so many immigrants in recent years, especially at a time when so many
other countries, including in Europe, are heading in the opposite direction? Is it for economic
reasons, demographic reasons, humanitarian concerns, or others?
Aydan
€
Ozo
guz: It’s for both economic and humanitarian reasons. First of all, we are part of the
European Union with a common market and freedom of movement of persons. Immigration from
other EU member states has always played an important role –and it still does. Germany has
always been a country of immigration. But for a long time, some politicians rejected that idea,
although the reality has always been obvious. Until well into the 1990s, many politicians thought
the German public would not be able to cope if Germany said it was a country of immigration. As
a result, not much was done to integrate immigrants and their children. It slowly dawned on people
The opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor-
in-Chief, Editorial Board, International Organization for Migration nor John Wiley & Sons.
doi: 10.1111/imig.12404
©2017 The Author
International Migration ©2017 IOM
International Migration Vol. 55 (6) 2018
ISSN 0020-7985Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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