Overview
- The federal cabinet approved the change on Wednesday, November 4, reducing the annual West Balkan quota from 50,000 to 25,000 and scheduling the cut to take effect on January 1, 2027.
- The Westbalkan‑Regelung lets nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia obtain simplified, job‑linked permission to work in Germany when an employer presents a binding offer and the Bundesagentur für Arbeit gives prior approval.
- Construction industry groups said the cut will create immediate shortfalls, with trade associations estimating about 9,000 fewer workers for building sites and warning of project delays and higher costs.
- Labour‑market researchers and economists argue the reduction is economically counterproductive because arrivals through the rule show high employment rates and long‑term forecasts, such as IAB estimates, point to a need for far larger annual immigration to stabilise the workforce.
- The measure faces organised opposition from industry associations and several federal states and must win an absolute‑majority vote in the Bundesrat before it becomes law, leaving the decision uncertain and potentially reversible.