This week the Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP) presented a ten point plan to attract skilled workers to Germany. Among the ideas presented, such as loosening the rules around recognition of foreign qualifications, one point stood out: English should become the second official language of German bureaucracy. For many Germans this was a startling suggestion. In a country that has wrestled with its acceptance of migrants, one of the few things all sides of the political spectrum have agreed on is that migrants should learn to speak German. It wasn’t that long ago that the FDP’s own leader, Christian Lindner, was saying exactly that. During the 2015 refugee crisis Lindner declared that anyone coming to Germany must “speak the German language”. This does beg the question: what’s changed in the last seven years?

Well, rather a lot. In 2015, the FDP were coming off the back of an electoral humiliation that saw the liberal party fail to breach the 5% voting threshold. From one moment to the next, they went from being part of the coalition government, to having no seats in the Bundestag. Sitting on the outside looking in, the FDP were in no place to exercise their socially liberal tendencies. Not unsurprisingly in a conservative country such as Germany, the newly installed Lindner decided against rocking the boat.

Now though, the FDP are back in government after last year’s election. Buoyed by their restored position, there is a feeling that they can be more adventurous. The idea itself is not an entirely new concept, after all, there are many major German companies, such as Siemens and Adidas, that have English as their official language. Within this context, a pro-business party such as the FDP were always likely to pull some ideas from the private sector. In many respects, suggesting civil servants learn English is a lot less divisive than trying to introduce Agile to the dusty halls of Germany’s Byzantine bureaucracy.

The negative reaction to these “new ideas” was swift. The Deutsche Beamtenbund (German Association of Civil Servants) were the first to point out the myriad issues with making English an official bureaucratic language. First and foremost, they claimed, it would double the workload. The German Civil Service is not uniform in a republic of sixteen states, in addition government departments have different requirements. The tax office doesn’t do the same work as the courts, for instance, and what about the day to day running of local government? Should the employees of provincial town halls be expected to communicate their bin collection timetables in English as well?

Obviously much of the detail will need to be ironed out, but there is some pragmatic thinking behind the FDP’s ideas. Germany lacks skilled workers in many fields, approximately 400,000 a year are needed to plug the gaps according to the proposal. With global competition for a finite amount of qualified employees, making it easier for English speakers to move to Germany does have a certain logic.

Even still, pragmatic ideas are not always met with the earnestness with which they are delivered. Germans in general expect migrants to be able to speak German. From the migrant perspective, learning the language is one of the many ways we can show our commitment to living here. Moreover, for those of us who don’t live in major cities, being able to speak German is a necessity if we plan to stay here long-term. The adage that “Everyone speaks English” may be bandied about a lot by native-English speakers, but as someone who lives in a provincial town in Bavaria, I can tell you categorically that isn’t the case.

It wasn’t just Germans who found the FDP’s plan objectionable. There was also some element of backlash from native-English speaking residents of Germany, a group which can often be as insular as any proud German patriot. For some in this community, the idea that anyone else is getting an easy ride is an anathema. Learning German is hard, and sometimes brutally humiliating, but eventually it can a source of pride. This pride in one’s own achievements can quickly develop into a superiority complex, and lead to a rather snooty dismissal of those who have not managed to grasp German quite as quickly or as comprehensively.

There is also a legitimate argument that by making English an official language, it makes it easier for one group of migrants at the expense of others. English may be the Lingua Franca, but there are plenty of skilled migrants who don’t speak English, but do happen to speak many other languages. Among the many different migrants of Germany, English speakers already get an easy ride. Although there’s no guarantee that everyone speaks English, there are people who do, and they enjoy speaking it with native speakers. Finding a group of friends that are happy to speak English with new arrivals can aide in the long process of integration. For those migrants who don’t, it can be a much harder road to walk.

Although there’s opposition to the FDP’s plan, there are more practical issues that might stymy attempts to create a multilingual civil service. Resistance to change is one of the more obvious, but even if there are willing Beamte prepared to undergo language training, hiring reliable English teachers will not be easy. I’ve worked in the English training sector for over a decade, and finding a reliable, qualified native-English teachers is no easy feat. I’ve worked with some of the best trainers in the private sector, but more often than not I’ve worked with unreliable, unprofessional amateurs, more interested in making a quick buck or stroking their egos than they are in actually improving their customer’s English. The idea that there might be some hefty government contracts coming over the hill will only bring out the worst of these companies.

Ultimately, despite all the critics and the many practical issues, the FDP’s proposal isn’t an awful idea. Offering training to employees has been shown to improve moral within companies, and can be a tangible way to make people feel they are being invested in by their employer. Why should it be different for the public sector? Equally, as a native-English speaker, there are some moments where hearing something explained in English, even if I understand what’s being said in German, can give me a sense reassurance. Having the complexities of the German tax system explained in my native tongue would certainly reduce my levels of anxiety when it comes to handing in my declaration. Lastly, there is some pride that should be taken in having a second official language in use. It shows a certain level of openness. Coming as I do from Brexit Britain, I can’t turn my nose up at a country that wants to welcome the world, instead of closing the door on it.

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