International Human Rights Instruments
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
70+6'& 0#6+105 *4+ +PVGTPCVKQPCN Distr. *WOCP4KIJVU GENERAL +PUVTWOGPVU HRI/CORE/1/Add.75/Rev.1 31 January 2003 Original: ENGLISH CORE DOCUMENT FORMING PART OF THE REPORTS OF STATES PARTIES GERMANY [15 November 2002] GE.03-40342 (E) 300403 HRI/CORE/1/Add.75/Rev.1 page 2 CONTENTS Paragraphs Page I. COUNTRY AND POPULATION ............................................ 1 - 40 3 A. Geography and climate .................................................... 1 - 3 3 B. Demographic data ............................................................ 4 - 21 3 C. Economy .......................................................................... 22 - 40 6 II. GENERAL POLITICAL STRUCTURE ................................... 41 - 84 9 A. History ............................................................................. 41 - 52 9 B. The constitutional framework .......................................... 53 - 84 12 III. GENERAL STATUTORY FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH HUMAN RIGHTS ARE PROTECTED ..................... 85 - 132 20 A. Implementation of human rights in Germany .................. 85 - 125 20 B. International agreements .................................................. 126 - 132 28 IV. INFORMATION AND PUBLICATIONS ON HUMAN RIGHTS .............................................................. 133 - 138 31 HRI/CORE/1/Add.75/Rev.1 page 3 I. COUNTRY AND POPULATION A. Geography and climate 1. The Federal Republic of Germany has an area of 357,020 km2. It stretches from the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the Alps in the south. Geographically it can be divided into five parts: − the North German Plain south of the North Sea and Baltic coasts and the offshore islands; − the Mid-German Highlands that separate the north of Germany from the south; − the South-West German terraced highlands; − the southern German Alpine Plateau that covers a wide expanse before the Alps; − and the Bavarian Alps that comprise only a narrow section of the folded mountain range of the European Alps. 2. The Mid-German Highlands reach heights of almost 1,500 m; the highest mountain of Germany is the Zugspitze at 2,962 m located in the Alps. 3. Germany’s position in the temperate zone is decisive for its climate of frequent weather changes, predominantly westerly winds and precipitation in every season. Progressing from the north-west towards the east and the south-east a gradual transition from an oceanic to a continental climate can be detected. The average temperatures of the coldest month of the year (January) range from +1.5º C to -0.5º C in the Plain to below -6º C in the mountains, depending on the altitude. The average July temperatures are up to between +17º C and +18º C on the North German Plain, up to +20º C in the Upper Rhine Valley. The average annual temperature is +9º C. B. Demographic data 1. Demographic development in 2000 4. At the end of 2000 the Federal Republic of Germany had 82,260,000 inhabitants, 96,000 or 0.1 per cent more than at the end of 1999 (82,163,000). Compared to the previous year, there was an increase of 126,000 in 1999 and a decrease of 20,000 in 1998. The population density remained unchanged in comparison to 1999 at 230 inhabitants per sq km. The slight population increase is due to the large number of immigrants which was 202,000 in 1999 and 167,000 in 2000. 5. In 2000, 649,000 foreigners moved across the Federal borders to settle in Germany (1999: 674,000) and 562,000 left the country (1999: 556,000). The resulting excess of immigration was 86,000 in 2000 and 118,000 in 1999. The emigration balance of the foreign HRI/CORE/1/Add.75/Rev.1 page 4 population in 2000 is principally based on an excess of immigration in comparison with Asia (+58,000), in particular in comparison to Kazakhstan (+9,700), Iraq (+9,200) and China (+9,200). 6. In 2000 some 192,000 Germans came to Germany (1999: 200,000). The main countries of origin - as a result of immigration by repatriates (2000: some 85,000 compared to 89,000 in 1999) - were once again the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan. The number of Germans who left Germany in 2000 was 111,000 (1999: 116,000). Of those Germans who left the country most of them registered in another EU country (38,500 or 34.7 per cent). In total in 2000 the 192,000 Germans settling in Germany and 111,000 who left the country resulted in an immigration balance of 81,000 Germans. 2. Life expectancy 7. Life expectancy in 1997-1999 in Germany was 74.4 years for men and 80.6 years for women. In 1986-1988 the average life expectancy for men was 71.7 and 78.0 years for women (by means of comparison 1900: 44.8 years for men and 48.3 years for women). 3. Infant mortality 8. In 1990 infant mortality (deaths in the first year of life) reached 7.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, one fifth of the 1960 level. This mortality rate is continuing to decrease and was 4.5 in 1999 and 4.4 in 2000. 4. Maternal mortality rate 9. The number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births was 5.6 in 2000. 5. Fertility rate 10. In 1999 the fertility rate was 1.36 children per woman of child-rearing age. In 1990 it was 1.45 children. 6. Proportion of people under 15 years of age and over 65 years of age 11. In 2000 the proportion of persons under 15 years of age was 15.5 per cent and the proportion of those over 65 years of age was 16.6 per cent of the total population. 7. Rural and urban population 12. The rural area comprises approximately 59 per cent of the area of Germany. Some 19 per cent of the population live there. 8. Single mothers 13. Of 16,044,000 working women, 6,773,000 are single (i.e. unmarried or separated); 1,457,000 of the single women have children (May 2000). HRI/CORE/1/Add.75/Rev.1 page 5 9. Illiteracy rate 14. In the Federal Republic of Germany the manifestations of illiteracy among the German population are almost exclusively those of the so-called “secondary illiteracy”, i.e. the persons concerned have major reading and writing deficiencies in spite of having gone to school. There is no reliable information on the exact number of illiterate people. According to UNESCO estimates it is between 468,667 and 1,847,666 people. With an adult population (persons over 15 years of age) of approximately 62,489,000 (1991), that is 0.75 per cent to 3 per cent of the adult population. 10. Proportion of the population with foreign nationality 15. At the end of 2000 there were 7,297,000 foreign nationals living in the Federal Republic of Germany. The larger groups of these are primarily nationals of the following States: EU States 1,893,000 (including Italy 619,000 and Greece) 365,000 Successor States of Yugoslavia 1,066,000 (incl. Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 622,000 and Croatia) 217,000 Turkey 1,999,000 Successor States of the Soviet Union 365,000 Poland 301,000 16. At the end of 2000 the proportion of foreigners in the total population was 8.9 per cent (2000 total population: 82,260,000; 2000 foreign population: 7,297,000). 17. Of the 7,297,000 foreigners resident in Germany at the end of 2000, 833,000 were former asylum-seekers. Of these, 164,000 were recognized as entitled to asylum, 54,000 people had been granted protection against deportation under the Geneva Convention. Two hundred thousand foreigners are still in the process of the asylum procedure. More than half of the foreigners in Germany have been living here for at least 10 years, one third for 20 years or longer. 11. Religions 18. Current figures on membership of religious communities in Germany are as follows: Roman Catholic Church 27,017,401 members Protestant Church (EKD) 26,848,000 members Free Protestant Churches (VEF) 291,200 members Independent Protestant Church in Germany (SELK) 40,000 members Old Catholic Church 30,000 members HRI/CORE/1/Add.75/Rev.1 page 6 Orthodox Christian Churches in Germany 1,000,000 members Jewish religious community 95,000 members Islamic religious community about 3,500,000 members 19. The figures for the Roman Catholic Church and for the Protestant Church (EKD) are from the year 2001 and are based on Church statistics. Also, the figures for − the Christian Free Churches which are combined in the Association of Free Protestant Churches (VEF) (of October 2001); − the Lutheran Protestant Free Churches Organization (SELK); − the Old Catholic Church are based on Church statistics. 20. The figures for the Jewish Community are collected by the central welfare agency of the Jews. The figure stated here is from the end of 2001. 21. The data for the Orthodox and Islamic Communities are estimates based, inter alia, on the number of foreigners resident in Germany taking into account their countries of origin. C. Economy 1. Gross domestic product (GDP) and gross national product (GNP) in current prices 22. The GDP figures are as follows: Gross domestic product (billion EUR) 1995: 1,801.30 1996: 1,833.70 1997: 1,871.60 1998: 1,929.40 1999: 1,974.30 2000: 2,025.50 2001: 2,063.00 Gross domestic product per capita (EUR) 1995: 22,100 1996: 22,400 1997: 22,800 1998: 23,500 1999: 24,100 2000: 24,600 2001: 25,000 HRI/CORE/1/Add.75/Rev.1 page 7 Gross domestic product per gainfully employed person (EUR) 1995: 48,200 1996: 49,200 1997: 50,300 1998: 51,300 1999: 51,800 2000: 52,300 2001: 53,200 23. According to calculations of the Federal Statistical Office of the gross domestic product, the value of the work done in Germany increased in 2001 in comparison to 2000 by 0.6 per cent in real terms, after it had increased by 3.0 per cent in 2000 in comparison to 1999.