Naturalization Numbers Up

"One can hardly say that it's the result of a change of trend," political scientist Dieter Oberndörfer of the University of Freiburg told German news agency DPA.

Slightly over a million people have assumed German nationality since the country's new citizenship law came into effect in 2000. The numbers dropped steadily in subsequent years, with only 117,241 foreigners naturalized in 2005.

Turks made up the greatest number of new Germans in 2006, as in previous years, with around 33,500 changing their nationality. Around 12,600 former Serbian and Montenegrin nationals were in second place, 6,940 Poles in third, and 4,690 people from Russia in fourth. They were followed by around 4,550 Ukrainians, 4,310 Israelis, 3,690 Iraqis and 3,550 Moroccans.

Over 50 percent more Israelis and 43 percent more people from Serbia and Montenegro became German in 2006 than in 2005.

Motivated by outside factors

Experts expect that the number of Turkish applicants will fall as Turkey intensifies its ties to the European Union. As Turkey has associate membership status with the EU, there are few areas in which Turkish nationals experience disadvantages in relation to EU nations, Oberndörfer said.

People don't appear to have been mainly attracted to assume the country's citizenship by the desire to become German. On the contrary, Oberndörfer said most applicants were motivated to become German by outside factors such as the political situation in their countries of origin. He said the increase in the numbers of Israelis and people from Serbia and Montenegro who were naturalized had to do with the "growing insecurity in Israel and a situation without perspectives in Serbia."

Foreigners can apply to be naturalized as Germans after eight years as legal immigrants, but Germany does not grant them citizenship unless they legally abandon their old nationality.