WHAT DOES THIS LAW MEAN?

Minister of the Economy Peter Altmaier (CDU) hopes that this will " draw a line " on a debate that has " for a quarter of a century on the political debate ." The new German immigration law has a strong symbolic capital. The big question is whether Germany is a country of immigration or not. The statistics are clear: in the Federal Republic, one in four people have foreign origins. What annoys the CDU-CSU, who had said in a forum that " Germany was not and would never be a country of immigration ." A position that has since moved away from the CDU-CSU alliance. Against all odds, the Minister of the Interior, Horst Seehofer (CSU), now supports " immigration of skilled workers from third countries ". The same who, in 2010, was convinced that his country did not "  need additional immigration from other cultures ". Of all the parties represented in the Bundestag, only the AfD is now of this opinion. The CDU / CSU, the Socialists (SPD), the Liberals (FDP), the Left (Die Linke) and the Greens all support increased immigration. This is a major turning point for Germany. As with the phasing out of nuclear power, a minority opinion has turned into a broad political consensus. “The principle of differentiation between political refugees and economic remains the same, " according to a first text containing the main points, issued by the federal government. This law will have no effect on the right to asylum. Under the Geneva Convention, the Federal Republic of Germany remains obliged to accept persons fleeing persecution from other countries.