In order to make it easier for foreign skilled workers to settle in, the Liberals advocate multilingualism in the administration. The civil servants’ association rejects this – and argues with “extra effort”.
The German civil servants’ association dbb does not believe in the FDP’s initiative to establish English as the second administrative language in public authorities.
“When it comes to regulations and laws, the official language applies in this country for reasons of legal certainty, and that is German,” said dbb spokeswoman Britta Ibald of the editorial network Germany (RND). Communicating in English in the future will lead to additional work.
“The requirements for the required foreign language skills vary greatly depending on the subject and region, for example, so that the blanket introduction of English as the second “official language” does not seem very effective in terms of the additional effort required,” said Ibald.
FDP wants to become more international for skilled workers
She emphasized, however, that intercultural competence and, where necessary, multilingualism are already being used when recruiting staff in the public sector.
In a resolution to combat the shortage of skilled workers, the FDP Presidium had spoken out in favor of English as the second administrative language in order to make it easier for those arriving to get started. The Liberals are also calling for visas to be issued and digitized quickly, as well as for professional qualifications to be recognized quickly.
