On The Protection Of Stateless Persons In Germany
39
person.17 On these matters, there is discrepancy between the approach of the
local Aliens Offices and that of the courts, which are more open to making
such findings.18
3
Definition of Statelessness in International Law and Application in
Germany
In Germany, the concept of ‘stateless person’ is in line with that of the 1954
Convention. In fact, Article 1 of the law on the Reduction of Statelessness refers
to the definition of statelessness in Article 1(1) of the 1954 Convention: the term
‘stateless person means a person who is not considered as a national by any
State under the operation of its law’.19
The majority of the case law has found Palestinians without another nationality to be de jure stateless according to Article 1(1) the 1954 Convention.20 In
this context, the Federal Administrative Court did not clarify the politically
and legally controversial issue on the existence of a Palestinian nationality.21
However, according to some lower administrative courts there is neither a
Palestinian State under international law nor a Palestinian nationality.22
Although the political situation in Palestine might indeed be ‘unclear’, the
17
18
19
20
21
22
Interview with German Immigration Lawyer number 1 (22 July 2013); interview with
German Immigration Lawyer number 2 (9 August 2013).
Interview with German Immigration Lawyer number 1 (22 July 2013). See, for instance,
Bundesverwaltungsgericht (BverwG, Federal Administrative Court), 23.02.1993,
Entscheidungen des Bundesverwaltungsgerichtes (BVerwGE, decisions of the Federal
Administrative Court) 2, 116, 119-120 mit weiteren Nachweisen (mwN, with further
reference); Oberverwaltungsgericht (OVG, Higher Administrative Court) Berlin, Urteil
(judgment) von (v, of) 18.04.1991 - 5 B 41.90; BVerwG, Beschluss v 17.07.1987 - 1 B 23.87.
Convention Relating tot he Status of Stateless Persons, Article 1; see Hailbronner, Brenner,
Maaßen (n 5) I.G.I.1.
Bundesverwaltungsgericht (BverwG, Federal Administrative Court), 23.02.1993,
Entscheidungen des Bundesverwaltungsgerichtes (BVerwGE, decisions of the Federal
Administrative Court) 2, 116, 119-120 mit weiteren Nachweisen (mwN, with further
reference); Oberverwaltungsgericht (OVG, Higher Administrative Court) Berlin, Urteil
(judgment) von (v, of) 18.04.1991 - 5 B 41.90; BVerwG, Beschluss v 17.07.1987 - 1 B 23.87.
BverwG 23.02.1993, BVerwGE 92, 116, 119-120 mwN; BVerwG, Urteil v 23.02.1993 – 1 C 7.91,
9-10.
Verwaltungsgericht (VG, Administrative Court) Aachen, Urteil v 1.03.2001 - 4 K 3022/99,
Informationsbrief Ausländerrecht (InfAuslR, Information Letter Aliens Law) 2001, 338;
VG Saarland, Urteil v 24.11.2006 - 5 K 97/05; OVG Niedersachsen, Beschluss v 21.04.2004 - 11
LA 61/04.
tilburg law review 19 (2014) 35-51