Learning a national language should be a condition for the successful integration for migrants, according to Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga.
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Speaking ahead of the second national conference on integrating foreigners to be held in Bern on Thursday, Sommaruga said Switzerland should not be afraid to insist that migrants stand on their own two feet.
“Knowledge of a national language is not too much to ask. It is a condition for integration,” Sommaruga said.
The justice ministry is examining the possibility of amending the Swiss constitution to include such a condition. Sommaruga also plans to propose that the national parliament amend the law on foreigners, renaming it to become the law on foreigners and integration.
The integration conference will unite federal, cantonal and communal representatives to discuss the direction of a common Swiss integration policy.
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