Basel to offer foreigners free German lessons

Voters in Basel have approved a counter-proposal for the authorities to personally welcome every immigrant to the city. In addition, it will be the first Swiss city to offer free German courses. The counter-proposal was approved on Sunday by 64% of voters, with 33,776 to 18,952 votes. The corresponding integration initiative, launched by the Swiss People’s Party, was rejected: 39,178 to 14,530, or almost 73%. Voter turnout was nearly 53%. In the future, all foreigners who move to canton Basel City will be invited for official welcome chats, where they’ll learn about the importance of the German language, local customs and integration services. Currently, they simply get some information by post. Six to 12 months after the welcome meetings, new residents will be invited for follow-up talks. These will be a chance to discuss any integration-related goals or problems. Basel’s immigrants will also be able to attend free German lessons during their first year. Basel … Show more
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Culture
– SWI swissinfo.ch