Returnee: Ethnic Germans fleeing Ukraine war retain their rights in Germany
24 August 2024, Berlin: State Secretary in the Ministry of the Interior Juliane Seifert speaks at the Eternal Flame on the Day of the Homeland of the Federation of Expellees. Photo: Fabian Sommer/dpa
Ukrainian refugees with a claim to German ethnicity are to retain their rights under German law, a spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry said in Berlin on Saturday.
The spokeswoman, Juliane Seifert, was speaking at an event organized by the Association of Expellees (BdV) that looks after the interests of expatriate ethnic Germans, primarily in Eastern Europe.
She noted that under the law to date, those with a claim to German ethnicity, who had given up residence where they had settled for a lengthy period, lost their rights under German law, including the right to settle permanently in Germany.
Those affected could now apply to be acknowledged as ethnic Germans, she said.
BdV head Bernd Fabritius said the organization would monitor closely whether German officials acted in accordance with the new regulation.
Set up in 1957, the BdV represents the interests of ethnic Germans affected by displacement, along with their relatives, mainly in countries like Poland, Russia and Ukraine.
©dpa
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