MOSCOW (Sputnik) — "Those who signal that they do not want to integrate will have their benefits reduced," the minister warned in the article for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Nahles stressed that everyone in Germany – irrespective of their background and country of origin – has to pull their weight to make the country a better and prosperous place to live in.
"Integration is only successful when everyone contributes, especially refugees themselves. Those who come here for protection and want to begin a new life must stick to our rules and values," she underscored.
More than 1.1 million migrants and refugees arrived in Germany in 2015. The government came under pressure over its open-door policy after a series of attacks on women in Cologne, allegedly by men from refugee background.