IX.
We cannot leave relations between the different cultures within our society to chance. The demands we place on ourselves and on those who come to live with us must be well thought-out, discussed with caution and wisely laid down.
We must be clear about the conditions for immigration and we must make them binding. Everyone must know what to expect and what is expected of them.
It will certainly not be easy to reach agreement on these fundamental issues concerning how we live together in our society. However, we must not evade these issues. We must conduct this discussion now.
The rules on integration and immigration must be determined by the social and economic interests of our society. It is therefore all the more important to distinguish between two things: immigration and the right to asylum. Drawing up rules on immigration is in our own interests, the right to asylum is based on selfless motives.
Those who say that the world's problems cannot all be solved in Germany are quite right. However, I would add that Germany must remain a good and safe address for people who fear the loss of their freedom and indeed of their lives.
X.
No matter how we regulate immigration in the future, we must be well-prepared – intellectually, politically and institutionally. We must be prepared for people coming from whom we expect something and who expect something from us.
We must be prepared in many spheres.
Most important of all are kindergartens, schools and universities.
These are the places where it is determined whether integration is succeeding in our country. They are where we learn to live together and they also provide the basis for this.
One can isolate oneself in everyday life and remain within one's own community in one's own district. At school one inevitably comes together with others. Here one must get along with others whether one wants to or not.
Schools are the nation's school. They highlight all the difficulties which living together can involve, often most clearly.
That is why I would like to sincerely thank all those teachers who have to cope every single day with the fact that our society has become so diverse and thus also so difficult. Particularly in primary schools and Hauptschulen, they experience at close quarters what is happening in our society, as well as the problems it faces.
I would also like to thank all those who work in day nurseries, in the youth departments of clubs and in open youth work, who do integration work for us all on a daily basis.
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