The attempts to create a “modern” immigration law for Germany have never shown great German self-confidence.
The traffic light coalition's attempt to create a "modern nationality law" consists primarily of gestures of humility towards immigrants and the marginalization of long-established Germans.
The reason for this is a philosophical question that can probably only be answered with the permanently broken German national feeling.
Immigration policy always served some people to reshape this nation, others to preserve the traditional one.
The result is acrimonious debates that are not always clear about what they have to do with practice.
Citizens from the assembly line?
So it threatens to come again.
The FDP has objected to a proposal from the Ministry of the Interior that comes very close to the coalition agreement that they signed themselves.
What this is supposed to do can only be explained by the fact that the Liberals – otherwise actually on the side of the Greens on this issue – feel the displeasure of their electorate in asylum and immigration law.
The SPD and the Greens are setting a pace that, in view of the rapidly increasing immigration, cannot be justified by saying that there is not enough of it.
Irrespective of this, the labor market is waiting for skilled workers recruited without red tape, not for citizens from the assembly line.
The coalition agreement also lacks a clear motive for the new debate, except that everything should become "more modern".
In practice, what matters most is not how the treaty does, after how many years an immigrant can be naturalized, but what he can do and what he wants.
The SPD and the Greens will tolerate multiple nationalities beyond what Germany should afford.
The fact that German citizenship is being "squandered" as a result, as is now being criticized, is the wrong accusation.
But the point is that someone who wants to become German should see a value in it that goes beyond “participation”.
You have to have that much self-confidence.