Erfurt (dpa/th) – Thuringian state politicians have emphasized the difficulties that speak against the rapid introduction of English as an additional administrative language in the state. “There is a little more to it than a simple coffee order,” said Thuringia’s municipal state secretary Katharina Schenk (SPD) on Friday in the state parliament. Administrative documents are based on laws and, for example, court decisions that are written in German. Creating such documents in English is therefore a complex process that will take time. SPD MP Dorothea Marx made a similar statement.
The FDP group had previously requested an “update for the public service” with an application. To this end, English should be introduced as an additional administrative language in Thuringia by 2030. In this context, as a first step from January 1, 2024, all digital administrative services in Bavaria should also be offered in English. When hiring new staff at the state, more attention should be paid to ensuring that the applicants have foreign language skills.
The spokesman for the FDP group, Thomas Kemmerich, justified the application primarily with the fact that Thuringia is dependent on the immigration of skilled workers. Many of them come from other European countries. English as an additional administrative language will make it easier for them to arrive in Thuringia. In this way, the country can secure a competitive advantage in the battle for the brightest minds.
The CDU MP Raymond Walk was skeptical. Learning the German language is “the central key to the integration” of foreigners in Germany, he said. It must therefore be the primary goal of immigrants to learn German as quickly and as well as possible.
