My Year Abroad- Germany: Assessment 3 (Part 1): Identification of 5 topics of current affairs (Week 12)

5 Topics of German Current Affairs

The NPD

The NPD is a National Democratic, right-wing party with strong patriotic and what many would call extremist beliefs. It was founded in November 1964 and remains one of the only such organisations that has not been banned by Government (Npd-sh.de, 2014). In the 2006 elections the NPD did better than expected allowing 6 members into state Parliament in Schwerin, meaning they had nationalist party members in 2 state governments (Npd-sh.de, 2014). Alarmingly, the Party claimed the younger the voters were, the better their results (Npd-sh.de, 2014). The Party has been linked to violence, racism and even Neo-Nazism and the scandal doesn’t stop there, with it being reported that a quarter of the Party’s leadership have been convicted or investigated for a crime (SPIEGEL ONLINE, 2013). Recently, the Party was also uncovered to have strong relations with the Ukrainian Nationalist Party Svoboda (Moore, 2014). In 2003 an attempt to shut the party down failed but in December 2013 the 16 states of Germany’s regional governments launched a new attempt to outlaw the radical Party by filing a motion with the Federal Constitutional Court but it remains unclear what the outcome will be (Overdorf, 2014) (Crossland, 2013).

Photo: http://observatoiredesextremes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/union-du-peuple-allemand.jpeg

2. The Education System

Photo: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/German_School_system.svg

The German Education is very different than the UK system and although it has received praise it has also faced criticism. After just four years at their version of Primary School the pupils are tested and sorted into different high schools in the tiered system depending on ability. Many believe it is too early to be judging the child’s ability and think many children’s potential is not then uncovered (News.bbc.co.uk, 2014). Many people including Vernor Muñoz Villalobos from the UN believe the tiered system encourages social inequalities and social exclusion of immigrant’s children and disabled children for example (SPIEGEL ONLINE, 2007) (Www.Dw.De, 2014). Moreover, many believe the education system takes too long with eight or nine years at the Gymnasium and it was only in recent years that the 13^th class was removed. It is also very difficult for a child to move up a tier to the better school in the system but it is a lot easier to be moved down one.

3. Germany and the EU

Since the Euro crises the relationship between countries in the European Union has altered due to some countries now being debtors and others creditors (Economist, 2014). Germany is the biggest creditor of all the EU countries and has therefore gained more political power (Economist, 2014). It is in many eyes the dominant country of Europe both politically and of course economically. This shift within the EU and Germany’s dominance has fuelled a debate. On one hand there are those who believe Germany has used its power in the case of Greece for example for selfish reasons and to force policies on the country, however, on the other hand some believe Germany is actually being passive due to its history and should take up a leadership role within the EU as it is what the EU needs to get out of the crises (Economist, 2014) (Lambsdorff, 2013). The leadership race appears to be between German and France but with the largest population and best economy of Europe and after its actions during the Eurozone crises, to many it seems appropriate for Germany to be the leading nation of the European Union (Blog.crossculture.com, 2014) (BBC News, 2014).

Photo: http://blogs-images.forbes.com/afontevecchia/files/2011/09/germany-EU-flags.jpg

4. Immigrants in Germany

Photo: http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/imgLib/20130321_german-turks-with-flag_LARGE.jpg

Germany has been the destination of choice for immigrants both historically and in current times. The largest immigrant group in Germany is the Turkish with a population of around 3 Million (2.4%) (Cia.gov, 2014) (Pi-news.net, 2014). Other nationalities include; Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croat and Spanish, that combined, make up 6.1% of the population (Cia.gov, 2014). Some immigrant families have lived in Germany for generations but just how integrated are they? Alarming facts and figures show they are not as well integrated as one may think. A study carried out by the Berlin-Institut discovered the Turkish to be the least integrated immigrant group, with the lowest levels of Abitur and Schulabschlusse (Süddeutsche.de, 2010) causing the Turkish Minister to call for better integration from the Turkish migrants (SPIEGEL ONLINE, 2014). Another study discovered every 5^th Turk could only either speak basic German or none at all (Siems and Ehrentraut et al., 2014). It appears the Turkish haven’t integrated as well as other immigrant groups due to preferring to spend time amongst themselves (Siems and Ehrentraut et al., 2014) and according to research, some feel discontent with life in Germany (Nachrichtenfernsehen, 2012).

5. Economic significance of the German Car Industry

Germany is renowned for its luxury, stylishly designed and well-engineered cars such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche. The Automotive industry is huge in Germany and plays a significant role in its Economy and its Economic success. The industry accounts for 14% of workers in manufacturing jobs, making it one of the biggest employers in the country (Sustainability.daimler.com, 2014). Moreover 8% of the total industrial added value comes from the Auto industry (Sustainability.daimler.com, 2014). As Globalisation and trade trends grow Germany has also found itself exporting its cars more than ever before, accounting to three fourths of the cars produced (Sustainability.daimler.com, 2014). All of this has lead Germany to become the World’s fourth largest car producer following behind the United States, Japan and China (Sustainability.daimler.com, 2014). The industry is investing more than any other especially when it comes to Research and Development, with manufacturers and suppliers investing upwards of 20 billion euros each year (Sustainability.daimler.com, 2014). Moreover, ten patents applications are received everyday usually with regards to environmentally friendly vehicle technologies- the future of the car industry (Sustainability.daimler.com, 2014).