Tuesday, November 02, 2004
- US-EUROPEAN RELATIONS
Lecturer: Prof. dr. Ruud Janssens
National Interests: US, EU, European nations. Text of Gejo's Presentation: "Germany and the European Union"
- Main source: Christian Hacke, Die Außenpolitik der Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Von Konrad Adenauer bis Gerhard Schöder. Berlin: Ullstein, 2003.
. History: 1945 - 1990. German foreign minister Joschka Fischer noted two "historic decisions" that made the new Europe possible: The US's decision to stay in Europe and France's and Germany's commitment to the principle of integration, beginning with economic links.
(Source: "Power and Weakness" by Robert Kagan, Policy Review, June 2002.)
. History: 1990-2004. Germany has 82 million inhabitants, of whom 8 million are foreigners. In total there are two million people from Turkey (a new major candidate for the European Union).
Almost 9% of the German workforce is jobless (over 4 million people). The United Nations calculated that if it wants to keep the retiring system working, Germany should let in 200,000 to 300,000 immigrants every year.
Furthermore, there is a lack of computer- and software specialists, which means that even though there is are a lots of unemployed people, still several hundred thousand of jobs cannot be filled.
The complete debt burden of the German state, including debts from the 16 federal states and cities, currently amounts to more than 1200 billion Euro. This costs every year 40 billion Euro in interest and amortization, which is 25 % of the estimate.
(Source: Michèle de Waard: Duitsland achter de schermen: het wonder van de Berlijnse Republiek. Amsterdam: Prometheus, 2002)
The enormous economical problem of Germany is a factor that influences all politics. The reunification of the two Germanys is the main cause of this. Building up the former DDR to the standards of the former West Germany has and will cost a lot of money.
That is why I picked the year 1990 (reunification) as the new starting point of Germany as a part of the European Union.
Future predictions:
1) With the help of the US, Germany takes a central role in building up the European Union, which will involve the new members of the eastern part of Europe.
The Ostvertragen (treaties between East and West Germany made at the time of the Cold War) teached Germany how to deal with the former Eastern European countries who want to join, or recently joined the European Union. This gives Germany a central position within the European Union, not only geographically.
2) Europe will be divided, which means economic problems will hold on much longer.
Germany needs partners to build up a strong economy. More labourers (immigrants) are needed. If Europe will be divided, getting rid of the debt will take much longer. This will probably make Germany a strong leader within the Eastern part of Europe, especially because the United States supports Germany in being the main player in connection with the countries in Eastern Europe.
Relations Germany-US: 700,000 labourers in Germany work directly for American companies. The same number of workers are employed in the US by German companies. More direct connections with the United States can be made. So even when Europe will be divided, Germany will stay an important partner for the US.
How good the relationship is, can be taken from the words of president Bush when he visited Berlin in 2002, where he said: "I'm here to let the German people know how proud I am of our relationship, our personal relationship, and how proud I am of the relationship between our two countries."
And on February 27, 2004 president George W. Bush and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder made a Joint Statement on the German-American alliance for the 21st century. (See also Prof. Janssens' comments below.)
Lecturer: Prof. dr. Ruud Janssens
National Interests: US, EU, European nations. Text of Gejo's Presentation: "Germany and the European Union"
- Main source: Christian Hacke, Die Außenpolitik der Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Von Konrad Adenauer bis Gerhard Schöder. Berlin: Ullstein, 2003.
. History: 1945 - 1990. German foreign minister Joschka Fischer noted two "historic decisions" that made the new Europe possible: The US's decision to stay in Europe and France's and Germany's commitment to the principle of integration, beginning with economic links.
(Source: "Power and Weakness" by Robert Kagan, Policy Review, June 2002.)
. History: 1990-2004. Germany has 82 million inhabitants, of whom 8 million are foreigners. In total there are two million people from Turkey (a new major candidate for the European Union).
Almost 9% of the German workforce is jobless (over 4 million people). The United Nations calculated that if it wants to keep the retiring system working, Germany should let in 200,000 to 300,000 immigrants every year.
Furthermore, there is a lack of computer- and software specialists, which means that even though there is are a lots of unemployed people, still several hundred thousand of jobs cannot be filled.
The complete debt burden of the German state, including debts from the 16 federal states and cities, currently amounts to more than 1200 billion Euro. This costs every year 40 billion Euro in interest and amortization, which is 25 % of the estimate.
(Source: Michèle de Waard: Duitsland achter de schermen: het wonder van de Berlijnse Republiek. Amsterdam: Prometheus, 2002)
The enormous economical problem of Germany is a factor that influences all politics. The reunification of the two Germanys is the main cause of this. Building up the former DDR to the standards of the former West Germany has and will cost a lot of money.
That is why I picked the year 1990 (reunification) as the new starting point of Germany as a part of the European Union.
Future predictions:
1) With the help of the US, Germany takes a central role in building up the European Union, which will involve the new members of the eastern part of Europe.
The Ostvertragen (treaties between East and West Germany made at the time of the Cold War) teached Germany how to deal with the former Eastern European countries who want to join, or recently joined the European Union. This gives Germany a central position within the European Union, not only geographically.
2) Europe will be divided, which means economic problems will hold on much longer.
Germany needs partners to build up a strong economy. More labourers (immigrants) are needed. If Europe will be divided, getting rid of the debt will take much longer. This will probably make Germany a strong leader within the Eastern part of Europe, especially because the United States supports Germany in being the main player in connection with the countries in Eastern Europe.
Relations Germany-US: 700,000 labourers in Germany work directly for American companies. The same number of workers are employed in the US by German companies. More direct connections with the United States can be made. So even when Europe will be divided, Germany will stay an important partner for the US.
How good the relationship is, can be taken from the words of president Bush when he visited Berlin in 2002, where he said: "I'm here to let the German people know how proud I am of our relationship, our personal relationship, and how proud I am of the relationship between our two countries."
And on February 27, 2004 president George W. Bush and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder made a Joint Statement on the German-American alliance for the 21st century. (See also Prof. Janssens' comments below.)
# posted by Agustin @ 11:24 PM 
