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Publication
Culture

2) Wir und Österreich – Austria and us

Publisher
Federal Ministry Republic of Austria - European and International Affairs
Year of Publication
2019
Abstract

In October 2019, the Austrian Parliament unanimously passed a ground-breaking and historical amendment to the Austrian citizenship law. It opened up the possibility to the descendants of victims of National Socialism to regain Austrian citizenship. Austria thus has made another and an important step towards meeting its historical responsibility. Since then, thousands of persons of all ages for a wide variety of reasons have decided to accept Austrian citizenship. More than 25,000 applications for receiving Austrian citizenship have been submitted around the world. They are a beautiful and welcome enrichment to our society. And the number keeps growing month after month. In view of the family histories in question this act of (re)gaining Austrian citizenship by no means is a matter of course. Decades after their forebears were brutally robbed of their identity by the National Socialist regime, they are prepared to open a new chapter with the Republic of Austria. This is a token of confidence in our country and our society and encourages us to consequently continue along our path of remembrance and reconciliation. With this book the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, together with the Jewish Community of Vienna, would like to set an example in terms of the responsibility for the past and at the same time for a joint future. It assembles voices from various generations and sheds light on the manifold reasons inspiring people to become Austrian once more. It will be a matter of concern for the Foreign Ministry also in the future to sensitively assist and accompany the persons around the world entitled. As becomes clear from the interviews published here, the first contact at the Austrian representations abroad often is the crucial factor for the decision to approach Austria. My heartfelt thanks go to the staff for their circumspect commitment in the successful implementation of the new regulations. Last but not least, I would like to thank all the persons involved who have made this book possible. Hopefully, it serves as an inspiration for other descendants to deal with their Austrian family history and finally to (re)gain Austrian citizenship themselves.

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