Opinion: Pact with long-term effects
At the end some participants took each other by the hand; there were cheers, laughter, and applause. When the UN's Global Compact for Migration was agreed at the organisation's New York headquarters in July, after years of tough negotiation, the mood was almost exuberant. However, what was celebrated in New York as an international breakthrough is a subject of controversial debate in Germany. Opponents of the pact claim that it threatens countries' national sovereignty. The German parliament, the Bundestag, has issued an interpretation of the UN Compact that emphasizes, once again, that it does not bind Germany to any legal obligations. It's not that simple, though.
