Common Core Document of the Federal Republic of Germany (as per: 15 May 2009) II Contents CONTENTS.........................................................................................................................................................III A. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY................................ 1 I. GEOGRAPHICAL , HISTORICAL , DEMOGRAPHIC , SOCIAL , CULTURAL , ECONOMIC AND JUDICIAL CHARACTERISTICS .. 1 1. Geographical category................................................................................................................................ 1 2. Historical background................................................................................................................................. 1 3. Demographic characteristics....................................................................................................................... 3 a. General information.................................................................................................................................................. 3 b. Shares of the population with foreign nationality........................................................................................................ 5 c. Religious affiliation .................................................................................................................................................. 6 4. Social and cultural characteristics............................................................................................................... 7 a. Most frequent causes of death ................................................................................................................................... 7 b. Infant and maternal mortality rate.............................................................................................................................. 8 c. Use of birth control................................................................................................................................................... 8 d. Number of medically-necessary abortions ................................................................................................................. 8 e. Numbers of cases of reportable infectious disease ...................................................................................................... 8 Rotavirus ............................................................................................................................................. 10 Atrial fibrillation.................................................................................................................................. 10 Tularaemia........................................................................................................................................... 12 f. Education system.................................................................................................................................................... 14 g. Literacy rate........................................................................................................................................................... 19 h. Social security........................................................................................................................................................ 19 i. Composition and consumption conduct of households .............................................................................................. 21 5. Economic characteristics........................................................................................................................... 22 a. Employment........................................................................................................................................................... 22 b. Economic power .................................................................................................................................................... 24 c. Public development cooperation.............................................................................................................................. 25 6. Crime statistics and judicial characteristics ............................................................................................... 28 a. Data from the judiciary and public security.............................................................................................................. 28 b. Crime statistics data................................................................................................................................................ 30 c. Prison data.............................................................................................................................................................. 33 7. Other characteristics................................................................................................................................. 36 a. Media access among the population......................................................................................................................... 36 b. Non-governmental organisations............................................................................................................................. 36 II. THE CONSTITUTIONAL , POLITICAL AND LEGAL SYSTEM .................................................................................... 36 1. The state form of the republic .................................................................................................................... 37 2. Head of state and the state leadership........................................................................................................ 37 3. Federal state principle............................................................................................................................... 37 4. Municipalities and associations of municipalities ................................................................................... 38 5. Democracy and the electoral system .......................................................................................................... 39 a. Political parties....................................................................................................................................................... 39 b. Election and tasks of the German Federal Parliament............................................................................................... 41 III c. Suffrage ................................................................................................................................................................. 43 d. Turnout.................................................................................................................................................................. 43 Land ............................................................................................................................................................... 44 e. Proceedings regarding the scrutiny of an election ..................................................................................................... 44 6. The Federal Council.................................................................................................................................. 45 7. The principle of the rule of law .................................................................................................................. 45 8. Jurisdiction and the Federal Constitutional Court...................................................................................... 46 9. The social state principle........................................................................................................................... 47 10. The fiscal administration ......................................................................................................................... 48 11. Law on the state Church.......................................................................................................................... 48 12. Recognition of non-governmental organisations....................................................................................... 49 13. Membership of the European Union...................................................................................................... 49 14. Basic rights in the European Union....................................................................................................... 50 B. GENERAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF BASIC RIGHTS IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY............................................................................................................ 52 I. ACCEPTANCE AND RATIFICATION OF INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL HUMAN RIGHT AGREEMENTS .................... 52 1. Fundamental international human right agreements .................................................................................. 52 a. The state of ratification ........................................................................................................................................... 52 b. Reservations and declarations ................................................................................................................................. 53 Content ..................................................................................................................................................... 54 c. Cancellations, limitations and restrictions ...............................................................................................................