| Germany
at a glance
Germany’s
position in the world economy
The
Basic Law
Basic
rights
The
economy
Society
Health
insurance
Germany
at a glance
The country and the people: The Federal Republic
of Germany is located in the heart of Europe,
linking the west with the east, the north with
the south. The most densely-populated country
in Europe, Germany has been flanked by nine neighboring
states since the unification of the two German
states in 1990. An integral part of the European
Union and NATO, Germany is a partner to the central
and eastern European states that are en route
to becoming part of a united Europe. Since the
reunification in 1989 Germany is once more one
of the biggest countries in Europe with its capital
Berlin. Obviously, it contains many geographical
features as varied as the shore of the Baltic
and North sea and the ecosystem of the Alps.
357,000 sq km are home to 82 million people with
almost 80% living in urban areas. Germany shares
borders with Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic,
Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland
and Switzerland. Germany's climate is almost as
varied as its country but mostly temperate or
marine.
Extreme temperature lows and highs are rare. Winter
temperatures vary from west to east, with about
freezing temperatures in the west and well below
freezing in eastern Germany. Summer temperatures
are typically between 20 and 30°C, with more rainfall
during the summer. Frequent changes of weather
make prognosis difficult. To be on the save side
take a sweater or weather protection with you.
Possessing a storybook landscape of rolling hills,
placid lakes generously speckling its regions,
and a coastline studded with stunning beaches,
Germany is a land of outstanding beauty and splendor.
Visit Germany's wine country and feast your eyes
and your taste buds on the region's numerous small
visitor-friendly vineyards. Indulge in any of
Germany's over 300 spas and health resorts and
pamper yourself in a relaxing holistic approach
to stress reduction. Savor an authentic German
lunch of sausage (Wurst), potato salad and Germany's
world-famous apple strudel while unwinding in
a modest Gasthof or café. Experience Germany's
diverse cultural and social scenes in one of the
many theatre and opera houses, all-night discos,
and numerous nightclub venues. Lastly, to achieve
the ultimate Germanic experience remember to greet
the Germans with Guten Tag, or Auf Wiedersehen
before departing, in this magnificent country
filled with beauty and excitement!
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Germany’s
position in the world economy
Ranking third in terms of total economic output,
Germany is one of the world’s leading nations.
With regard to world trade it places second. The
country continues to be an attractive market for
foreign investors, offering a superbly developed
infrastructure and a highly motivated, well-qualified
work force. Top-notch research and development
projects are additional hallmarks of the country
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The
Basic Law :
Post-War
Germany has developed into the freest and most
reliable state that has ever existed on German
soil. The constitution, the Basic Law, has made
a fundamental contribution to this. On the one
hand, it provides stability while, on the other,
it offers scope for adaptation. It guarantees
the individual extensive personal liberties and
rights of freedom as well as social security.
The Basic Law has been accepted by citizens of
Germany to a far greater extent than any other
German constitution before it. It bears remarking
here that the constitution was originally designed
as a provisional arrangement, which is why it
was only called "Basic Law". Drawn up
in 1949, its aim was to provide public life with
a new, free and democratic order "for a transitional
period". At the very outset, namely in the
preamble, the German people were called on "to
put the finishing touches to the unity and freedom
of Germany in free self-determination." In
other words, the intention was for the country,
divided into a western and an eastern section,
to again reunite as soon as possible and then
give itself a joint free democratic constitution.
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The first item in the Basic Law is an enumeration
of basic rights, expressing the state's commitment
to respecting and protecting human dignity, along
with the right of every single person to self-fulfillment.
This affords comprehensive protection against
unlawful interference in personal matters by the
state. Both Germans and foreigners can rely in
equal measures on the right to self-fulfillment.
The classical freedoms listed in the Basic Law
include freedom of belief and conscience, right
of asylum, freedom of expression including freedom
of art and scholarship, freedom of the press and
the guarantee of property. Others are freedom
of assembly, freedom of association, the right
to form coalitions, the confidentiality of letters,
the post and telecommunications, freedom of movement,
freedom in the choice of profession, protection
from forced labor, the inviolability of the home
and the right of conscientious objection.
Alongside these civil liberties there are rights
of equality. The Basic Law expresses the general
principal that all persons are equal before the
law by providing that no one may be discriminated
against or given preferential treatment on the
grounds of his or her sex, birth, race, language,
national or social origins, faith, religious persuasion
or political opinions. Nor may anybody be discriminated
against because of disability. Equal rights for
men and women are also expressly stipulated. Finally,
the constitution guarantees all Germans equal
eligibility for public office. As part of these
basic rights, marriage and the family are placed
under the especial protection of the national
order.
The fundamental essence of all these basic rights
is inviolable and they are directly applicable
as law. This is one of the most important reforms
represented by the Basic Law compared to earlier
German constitutions. Today, all three pillars
of the state, namely the legislative, the executive
and the judiciary, are strictly bound to the basic
rights. Every citizen has the right to lodge a
constitutional complaint with the Federal Constitutional
Court if he feels his basic rights have been impaired
by decisions made by or actions performed by the
state and has appealed to the appropriate courts
without success.
By acceding to the European Convention for the
Protection of Human Rights and Basic Freedoms
and by ratifying the United Nations' international
covenants on human rights, the Federal Republic
of Germany is subject to international monitoring
of human rights. Any individual may direct a complaint
to the permanent European Court of Human Rights
regarding the infringement of human rights.
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The
Economy
The social partnership between trade unions and
employers ensures a high degree of social harmony.
Reforms to the social security system and structural
reforms to the labor market are intended to reduce
ancillary labor costs and rejuvenating economic
growth, which, in comparison with other EU countries,
is on a low level.
Compared with other industrial nation, the German
economy has an almost unprecedented international
focus. Companies generate almost a third of their
profits through exports, and almost one in four
jobs are dependent on foreign trade. The high
level of international competitiveness is most
evident where companies vie with others in the
international arena. Despite the slump in world
trade, the share of exports expanded at a higher
than average rate. In addition, the continuous
rise in direct investments by international companies
in Germany and by German companies abroad underscores
the strong position of the German economy in comparison
with its international competitors. It is buttressed
at the national level by a favorable inflation
rate and unit labor costs as well as by a stable
society.
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Society
Open-minded, modern and tolerant – these are the
hallmarks of German society at the beginning of
the 21st century. For the vast majority of people,
the family still forms the nucleus of their lives,
yet the forms people choose for living together
have become far more numerous. Supported by consistent
measures by the state to ensure equality, there
has been a change in the interpretation of the
roles men and women play. An increasing number
of couples are now sharing domestic chores and
the task of bringing up children, who are regarded
as the parents’ partners. Violence as part of
bringing up children is despised, whereas peaceful
co-existence with people from other countries
and cultures has become part and parcel of everyday
life. Around nine percent of the population is
foreign. In every sixth marriage one of the partners
has a foreign passport. Most Germans also go abroad
on holiday, and in 2002 spent € 56 billion
in the process. They do, however, also place great
value on their own homes and are active as volunteers
in clubs and charitable organizations.
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Almost everyone living in Germany has health insurance.
Some 88 percent belong to a statutory health scheme
and around nine percent are privately insured.
Up to a certain level of income (in 2003, €
3,825 gross per month or € 45,900 per annum),
all employees are obliged to join one of the over
315 statutory health insurance schemes. Persons
earning a higher gross amount than this are free
to join a private scheme if they so desire. Subject
to certain conditions, the statutory system also
covers pensioners, the unemployed, trainees and
students.
Employers and employees each pay half of the latter's
health insurance contributions. These vary from
company to company and in 2002 stood on average
at 14 percent of gross earnings. However, there
is an upper ceiling for the calculation of contributions.
Even very high-income employees do not have to
pay health contributions of more than seven percent
of € 3,450. The employer pays the same amount.
No contributions are payable for members of the
family who do not work. From this point of view,
employees with families are better off than single
employees.
All insured persons have a free choice of panel
doctors and dentists. The health insurance company
pays the doctor's costs, as well as remedies,
drugs, and appliances, hospital treatment and
preventative health care. Patients have to pay
a contribution towards medicines and certain services
(spectacles, dentures). The treatment of children
is exempt from such charges. The health insurance
company pays all or part of the cost of curative
treatment at a spa. In the event of sickness employees
continue to receive their salary or wages from
their employer for up to six weeks. Some collective
agreements provide for an even longer period.
After this the health insurance company provides
sickness benefits for up to 78 weeks.
Nearly everyone residing in Germany is guaranteed
access to high-quality comprehensive health care.
Statutory health insurance (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung--GKV)
has provided an organizational framework for the
delivery of public health care and has shaped
the roles of payers, insurance or sickness funds,
and providers, physicians, and hospitals since
the Health Insurance Act was adopted in 1883.
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