BRUSSELS — As policymakers scratch their heads and wonder how best to absorb different cultures and religions into Europe's very distinct national societies, they could do worse than consider some new ideas being developed in Switzerland.
Switzerland? The country that recently voted to ban the construction of minarets on mosques? Absolutely.
It is time for Europe to adjust the way it thinks about nationality, cultural roots and how it deals with immigrants. In a world of increasing mobility, an aging Europe will badly need the immigrants of whom it is so frightened, and it should give them a voice in local politics soon — say, one year — after they arrive.