European Studies
Catriona Garvey Country Profile GermanyYear 1
Germanys Economy:
Germany has one of the best and most advanced economies in the world it is the largest in Europe. Although from 2001 to 2003 their had been a slump in the economic growth of the country. Since 2004 the economy has steadily started to grow again and after hosting the UEFA world cup the country’s economy has improved.
The Germanysrefer to their economy structure as a “social market economy”. A large range of social services are provided. Although the state intervenes in the economy through the provision of subsidies to selected sectors and the ownership of some segments of the economy, competition and free enterprise are promoted as a matter of government policy
History of Germanys Economy
When the currency reform happened in 1948 West Germanyexperienced great growth in its economy until the early 1970s. From the mid 1970’s the economy slowed down and their was no proper GDP growth until the recession of the early 1980s when the economy experieced eitght consecutive years of growth that ended with a downturn beginning in late 1992. Since reunification in 1990, Germany has seen annual average real growth of only about 1.5% and stubbornly high unemployment. The best performance since reunification was registered in 2000, when real growth reached 3.0%. In 2003, Germany experienced a negative GDP growth of about -0.1%. Estimated growth rate in 2006: +2.0%.
Key Statistics
GDP Ranking / 5TH (2005)GDP / $2.446bn (2005)
GDP growth / 0.9% (2005)
GDP per capita / $29.700
GDP by sector / Agriculture (1.1%), industry (28.6%), services (70.3%) (2005)
Inflation / 2% (2005)
Population below poverty line / 13.7% (2003)
Unemployment / 12.1% (Jan 2006)
Main industries / iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages, shipbuilding, textiles
GDP meansgross domestic productwhich refers to the market value of all the goods and service produced in a country.
Key Industries and Services
The Germanys are the largest exproters of goods in the world they mainly export the following products were motor vehicles (US$145.5 billion), machinery (US$103.0 billion), chemical products (US$92.9 billion), electrical devices (US$36.2 billion), and telecommunications technology (US$35.1 billion). Germany’s main export partners were France (10.6%), the United States (9.3%), the United Kingdom (8.4%), Italy (7.4%), the Netherlands (6.2%), Austria (5.3%), Belgium (5.0%), and Spain (4.9%).
The products and services that are imports are as follows: Machinery,Vehicles,Chemicalsfood supplies,Textiles andMetals.
Germanys industry and construction accounted for 29% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2003. The sector employed 26.4% of the workforce. Germany excels in the production of cars, machine tools, and chemicals. With the manufacture of 5.5 million vehicles in 2003, Germany was the world’s third largest producer of automobiles after the United States and Japan.
Machinery, Cars and Heavy Industry Produced By Germany: BMW; Bosch; DaimlerChrysler,Linde; MAN; Porsche; ThyssenKrupp; Volkswagen.
Role of FDI
Germany follows a liberal policy toward foreign investment. From 1995 to 1999, annual average flows of U.S. direct investment in Germany were $3.4 billion, while those of German investors in the United States reached $21 billion. Americans accounted for 18% of all foreign direct investment in Germany during 1998-99, the third-largest source after France and the UK. In terms of cumulative position (historical cost basis), German investment in the United States was valued at $111 billion in 1999, having more than doubled since 1995, while U.S. investment in Germany was worth just under $50 billion, having grown just 12% since 1995.
Outlook for the German Economy
The German economy is expected to grow in 2006 and strengthen as exports are growing stronger and investment and consupation firming.
References
Internet: October 2006
- Politics
History and geography of the state
Particularities of its government and political conditions
Developments over the last decade
Particular challenges facing this country
- Sources:
1)History and geography of the state
A. History:
1800: made up of numerous states principalities and the kingdoms of Prussia, Bavaria, Baden-Wurtemberg, Part of loose German Confederation
1871: Unification of Germany, Chancellor of Germany is Bismarck
1914: Germany was engaged in the First World War at the sides of Austria-Hungary (1914) and invadedFrance.
1918: End of the First World War. At the time of the treaty of Versailles, Germany was regarded as person in charge for the war and was condemned to pay very heavy repairs.
1933: the world economic crisis of 1929 made it possible to the NSDAP (left Nazi) of Adolf Hitler to take the Germany power.
1935: Germany became officially anti-Semite by the promulgation of the laws of Nuremberg.
1939: Germany was engaged in the Second World War
1945: End of the Second World War. Adolf Hitler kill him-self
1949: Germany was divided between East/ West
1989: the fall of the Berlin Wall in November
1990: Unification of Germany
B. Geography:
- Surface: 357 005 km²
- Terrestrials borders : 3 618 km (Austria 784 km; Czech republic 646 km; Netherlands 577 km; Poland 456 km; France 451 km; Switzerland 334 km; Belgium 167 km; Luxembourg 135 km; Denmark 68 km)
- Littoral: 2 389 km
- Ends of altitude: - 2 m2 962 m (Zugspitze)
Les 16 Länder (États fédérés) d'Allemagne /
Bade-Wurtemberg· Bavière· Berlin· Brandebourg· Brême· Hambourg· Hesse· Mecklembourg-Poméranieoccidentale· Rhénanie-du-Nord-Westphalie· Rhénanie-Palatinat· Sarre· Saxe· Saxe-Anhalt· Basse-Saxe· Schleswig-Holstein· Thuringe
2)Particularities of its government and political conditions
The particularity of Germany:
Federal country
- His composition of 16 Lander. Each Land has its own constitution with its individualities, a Parliament, a government and (except the Schleswig-Holstein) a constitutional Court.
A. Legislatif power:
The operation of the German political system is governed by a constitution called fundamental Law (Grundgesetz). Germany is a federal republic, composed by 16 Länder, whose federal capital is Berlin. It is organized according to the principle of separation of powers and a representative democracy with parliamentary system. One of the characteristics of the German democracy is the institutionalization of the role of political parties: to represent citizens and to bring a political formation to them.
Federal president (Bundespräsident) :
He is elected for five years by the indirect suffrage.
By the federal Parliament (Bundesversammlung) made up for the deputies of the Bundestag and for other half of an equal number representatives elected by Landtage, Parliaments of Länder.
The chancellor (Bundeskanzler)
The chancellor exerts the essence of the executive power.
He is elected by the majority absolute of the members of the Bundestag on proposal of the federalpresident, after the conclusion of the negotiations between the political parties.
- Legislative power:
The legislative power is exerted by the Bundestag with a more or less important participation of Bundesrat according to cases.
Bundestag
- Elected for 4 years by the vote for all proportional direct at the federal level.
- It counts at least 598 deputies of which 299 are elected in the majority simple in electoral districts.
« Partis représentés au Bundestag
- SPD - Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (Parti social-démocrate), sociaux démocrates
- CDU - Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (Union des chrétiens-démocrates), démocrates-chrétiens
- CSU - Christlich Soziale Union (Union des chrétiens sociaux), démocrates-chrétiens Bavarois
- Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (Alliance 90/les Verts), écologistes
- FDP - Freie Demokratische Partei (Parti démocratique libre), libéraux
- Die Linke (Linkspartei.PDS, Parti de la Gauche), qui regroupe ex-communistes du PDS et ex-sociaux démocrates du WASG. »
Bundesrat
- It’s composed of members of the governments of Länder. Each land has according to its population between 3 and 6 votes in Bundesrat.
3. Developments over the last decade
- “Under the doctrine introduced by the 2003 Defense Policy Guidelines, Germany continues to give priority to the transatlantic partnership with the United States through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.”
- In the field of the environmental policy, the federal budget stresses a sure energy provisioning at stable prices and on an effective protection of the climate.
- Franco-German relations
For the first time in Germany, one woman was elected for became the chancellor.
- Head of government: Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005)
- Germany is implying of the construction of Europe: Recently Angela Merkel, declares “ The Europe must be refunded” ( Ambassador of Germany)
4. Particular Challenges Facing this country:
- The politic of Germany is very concerned by the environment, so in the future, the government will be promoting durable policy of development
- “Since 2006, the new chancellor Angela Merkel seeks to intensify relations with the United States and to rebuild political relations based on common values and beliefs.”
Alexia Alric 3st year International Marketing
S00065422
Simulation Game
- Waste policy in Germany and implementation of EU directives
1)Present waste policy
-STRENGHTS :
Currently Germany shows a very high rate of recycling with 81 % and a valorization of waste of 88%.
Moreover Germany with the application of the schedule “töpfer” and the DSD(dual system deutshland) have a very efficient system. DSD is a non-profit organisation to which companies pay a subscription. Members of the DSD can then put the green dot (gruener punkt) trademark on their packaging. This guarantees that the packaging will be recycled if it is collected by one of the recycling companies who also participate in the scheme.
Also, the responsability with waste have been taken into consideration for a long time, it is one of the strenght of the German system ,also it is the industrials, and the producers of packaging who have taken charge of the waste problem.
Germany is very sensible with the waste policy.
-WEAKNESSES :
“The mandatory German return and deposit scheme for non-reusable drinks package hinders the free movement of goods and has therefore been ruled illegal as it affects mostly producers from others EU member states.”
Even if Germany try to be very involved in the treatment of waste there is 14,1 million tons of layer packing nowadays in this country.
Moreover, the German firm “ Belland Vision” which is specialized in the treatment of hospital waste, canteen waste, restaurant waste; however they neglect the smaller towns which is a big problem.
Finally the major weakness of the German system is the cost which is very high.
-OPPORTUNITIES :
Currently the treatement of waste with german system is not so different with the objectives which are fixed by the packaging and waste directive of the european union.Indeed, the responsability has been taken by the industrials.
Moreover, Germany is one of the countries which shows the higher rate of recycling, it is not difficult for them to apply these objectives.Germany is a very ecological country , ecological issues are of the utmost importance to this country. In 1972 the German Parliament passed the first comprehensive piece of waste legislation in Europe: the Safe Disposal of Waste Act.
And finally, maybe the cost of the german system could be a positive factor to integrate a new scheme purposed by the directive of european union because it could be a means to reduce the cost.
-THREATS :
The principal theat of germany is its Dual system Deutschland which is admittedly efficient but with a monopolistic situation. Also, with the big involvement of the government in the policy of waste it will be very difficult to change the habits.Moreover , Germany have really strict rules about waste and packaging.
2)Analysis of transposition and implementation of council directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste.
Environmental protection has become a key issue in the European Union. This is also true for waste legislation. The EU is having an ever increasing influence on national legislation by means of regulations and numerous directives, as well as Commission decisions. Germany participates actively in elaborating and developing EC waste legislation. Indeed as you know, Germany is a very active member in the building of the european union. Moreover, the environment is one of the priorities of the German government.
However, if Germany agreed with the european directive about waste policy some disagrements would appear. The European Court of Justice has ruled the German system of mandatory return and deposit of drink packages illegal on the basis that it imposes disproportionate trade restrictions on other EU producers.
But concerning the others points Germany agrees with the directive. So in 2008, Germany have to show 65 per cent recovery and 55 per cent recycling in packaging waste. But these percentages aren’t a problem for Germany.. The Parliament also proposed 12 amendments to the Council's common position, thereby setting the stage for conciliation talks with the Member States.
Rainer Bahl Studentnumber s00065443Sligo, 5th of october 2006
The Council of Europe
General information on the Council of Europe
Since its founding in 1949, the Council of Europe, which currently comprises 46 member states, has been working to promote human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of law. Through its activities, it has set the course for a democratic Europe. Germany has been a member of the Council of Europe since 1950.
Organs of the Council of Europe
The organs of the Council of Europe are its decision-making body, the Committee of Ministers, and its so-called deliberative and consultative bodies, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe.
Main activities
In addition to enhancing the protection of human rights, a current main focus of its activities is helping the new European Union member states in Central and Eastern Europe adapt to European structures. Through extensive advisory and support programmes, some of which are co-financed by the European Union and implemented together with the EU and the OSCE, the Council of Europe promotes democratic reform processes and the harmonization of legal standards in these countries.
At the same time, the effective monitoring of the commitments made by the new member states upon accession has been refined. Persistent, grave breaches of the principles of the Council of Europe can result in sanctions against, or even exclusion of, the relevant country from the organization.
Pan-European intergovernmental cooperation in the Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is the only European organization that combines pan-European membership with legally binding (and enforceable) rules and a wide range of specialized programmes to foster democratic reform. Its "carrot and stick" policy, together with the European Court of Human Rights, to which almost 800 million citizens in 45 European countries can take their complaints, is unique and – on the whole – effective. For the young democracies in Central and Eastern Europe, membership in the Council of Europe is a democratic seal of approval, the binding principles of which they accept in order to belong to the Western community of states. Pan-European intergovernmental cooperation in the Council of Europe serves not only to prepare the states of Central and Eastern Europe for future accession to the EU, but also as a hothouse for developing new approaches on certain delicate issues for which the time is not yet right for them to be dealt with by the EU (so-called communitarization), such as genetic engineering and cybercrime.
The Council of Europe is both guardian and efficient promoter of a community of shared values reaching beyond the European Union and thus plays a key role in stabilizing democracy and the rule of law in the states of Central and Eastern Europe.
Conventions
Among the 194 conventions that have been adopted by the Council of Europe are the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the European Social Charter, the European Cultural Convention, and the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine.
The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages are milestones in the field of the protection of minorities, initiatives which Germany was instrumental in shaping and supporting. Both entered into force in 1998.
The Federal Government's commitment to the Council of Europe
The Federal Government views the Council of Europe as leading the way in the creation and implementation of a common European judicial area and a European community of shared values. The Federal Government has in the past always actively supported the Council of Europe in this endeavour. Germany has been a member of the Council of Europe since 1950 and cooperates intensively at all levels on Council of Europe programmes. As one of the five main financial contributors along with France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Russia, Germany funds 12.5% of the Council of Europe's budget (total budget for 2004: EUR 235 million). Germany last chaired the Committee of Ministers from the beginning of November 1997 to the beginning of May 1998.
The Federal Government is continuing its efforts to increase the use of German in the Council of Europe's day-to-day work, besides the official languages English and French. The objective is to enhance the Council of Europe's influence by increasing the use of the German language in Council of Europe publications and by translating the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights into German.
Bottom of Form
The making of German European policy
Nowadays all policy fields have a European dimension. To be an effective advocate of German interests in Europe, the Federal Government must clearly have efficient mechanisms in place to coordinate its policy.
The process of initiating new European legislation generally begins with proposals drawn up by the European Commission (draft regulation or directive). These proposals are subsequently deliberated by the Council, on which member states' governments are represented, and the European Parliament, which is directly elected by the citizens, amended as appropriate and finally adopted or enacted.
How Germany's European policy is coordinated
In practice the process of coordinating the Federal Government's position on a given proposal is normally as follows: Once the European Commission has adopted a proposal for new legislation on a particular matter, the federal ministry responsible for that matter (the relevant lead ministry) must ensure that the Federal Government adopts an agreed position on the proposal before it is deliberated for the first time in the Council. This ministry informs all other ministries whose areas of responsibility are affected by the new proposal and invites their opinions. On the basis of these opinions the Federal Government adopts an agreed negotiating position for subsequent deliberations on the proposal in the Council.