Germany’s prospective coalition partners have reportedly reached an agreement on new rules to attract more skilled immigrants to the country.
Since November, Chancellor Angela Merkel has been trying to reform government with the assistance of the Social Democrats, who her Conservative Party had governed alongside for the previous four years.
However, discussions have largely floundered on the topic of immigration – which continues to split opinion in Germany. While public support for immigration isn’t particularly high, attracting skilled immigrants is seen by many businesses and employers as essential.
While reports in German media yesterday suggested than an agreement has now been reached on future immigration policy, with an emphasis on bringing qualified skilled immigrants to the country, details of how the new laws would work have not yet been released.
However, the agreement on the immigration issue, following compromises on tax and carbon emissions policies achieved on Monday, suggests that the parties are edging closer to a decision to open formal coalition talks.
Article published 10th November 2018