Main focus of Monday, October 18, 2010

Merkel steps up integration debate

German Chancelor Angela Merkel declared on Saturday that the "multiculti" society has failed in Germany. Commentators write that both immigrants and host societies must do more to further integration, otherwise the extreme Right will come out the winner.

Pravda - Slovakia

The issue of cohabitation with immigrants must be addressed urgently, writes the left-leaning daily Pravda with an eye to events in Germany: "Some of the immigrants are sought-after qualified workers, others are a burden on the social system. They all bring with them not only rich traditions but also habits that engender distrust. Consequently immigrants are both an advantage and a source of problems. ... If politicians fail to react to society's fears of immigrants out of a fear of being labelled racist, they're doing the genuine racists a service. ... With her comment that multiculturalism has failed, Angela Merkel has started a debate that Slovakians must also not avoid, even if we still have little experience with immigrants." (18/10/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Migration, » Integration, » Weltanschauung, » Germany, » Slovakia, » Europe
All available articles from » Andrej Matišák

The Independent - United Kingdom

The liberal daily The Independent sees a Europe-wide trend behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel's statement that integration has failed in Germany: "Germany now joins France, Belgium, the Netherlands and - so far, to a lesser extent, Britain - in questioning the multicultural approach adopted by governments for many years. If integration is now to be the focus, however, the effort will have to be two-sided. As well as requiring migrants to do more, governments and the indigenous population will have to try harder, too. And this will take funds - for language tuition, better schooling and homes - at a time when money is in very short supply." (18/10/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » Germany, » France, » United Kingdom, » Belgium

Trouw - Netherlands

Social values should play a key role in the debate about integration in Germany, the daily Trouw writes: "There is no reason to shy away from debate about integration: how much immigration we want, which conditions immigrants must fulfil and whether there are values that can't be given up. These are questions that can be discussed in an integration debate. And Germany can contribute to this ever-growing debate in Europe. ... A few years ago Germany began a debate about the 'Leitkultur', or 'leading culture'. ... It touched perhaps on the very core of the problem. Can immigration create a society with completely changed values? Or are there indispensable values that are fixed for everyone who wants to live here? Immigration creates insecurity and therefore it is wise to talk about it." (18/10/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Germany

Dziennik Gazeta Prawna - Poland

Despite tougher conditions for immigrants in the US, integration is more successful there than in Germany, writes the daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna: "German schools teach immigrant children about Otto I, Duke of Saxony, but they simply aren't interested because they don't consider him their ancestor in any way. In the US the social services treat immigrants very badly - in Germany by contrast immigrants are treated very well. In America the education is nothing special, and the universities demand fees on top of that. In the US the integration process is brutal, in Germany by contrast it is mild. The result: the Germans have less success with integration than the Americans." (18/10/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Politics, » Germany, » U.S.
All available articles from » Jan Wróbel

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