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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| German passports for war children | German passports for war children |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Germany says it will ease the granting of citizenship to "war children" fathered by German soldiers in occupied France during World War II. | Germany says it will ease the granting of citizenship to "war children" fathered by German soldiers in occupied France during World War II. |
| The applicants, who are now in their 60s, will be eligible for dual nationality. Many of them have suffered discrimination in France for decades. | The applicants, who are now in their 60s, will be eligible for dual nationality. Many of them have suffered discrimination in France for decades. |
| The German interior ministry said their applications would be handled "generously" and there would be no fee. | The German interior ministry said their applications would be handled "generously" and there would be no fee. |
| Researchers estimate that about 200,000 French nationals are "war children". | Researchers estimate that about 200,000 French nationals are "war children". |
| Applications for German passports will still be treated on a case-by-case basis. | Applications for German passports will still be treated on a case-by-case basis. |
| After the 1940-44 Nazi occupation, the children were often labelled "bastards of the Boche" and ostracised by their local communities. Their plight was largely ignored by both countries. | After the 1940-44 Nazi occupation, the children were often labelled "bastards of the Boche" and ostracised by their local communities. Their plight was largely ignored by both countries. |
| The German government's statement on Thursday followed lengthy Franco-German diplomacy on the issue. | The German government's statement on Thursday followed lengthy Franco-German diplomacy on the issue. |
| The head of the French National Association of War Children (ANEG), Jeanine Nivoix-Sevestre, said the German move was "superb". | The head of the French National Association of War Children (ANEG), Jeanine Nivoix-Sevestre, said the German move was "superb". |
| "Those who have managed to retrace their family want to get German citizenship," she told the AFP news agency. | "Those who have managed to retrace their family want to get German citizenship," she told the AFP news agency. |
| Since August 2007 EU citizens applying for German citizenship have not had to give up their existing nationality as a matter of course any more. | Since August 2007 EU citizens applying for German citizenship have not had to give up their existing nationality as a matter of course any more. |
| Children with a German and a foreign parent normally acquire both nationalities at birth. | Children with a German and a foreign parent normally acquire both nationalities at birth. |
| The German foreign ministry said it welcomed a French proposal to set up a commission to reassess the plight of French "war children". |