Germany

General Data :

OFFICIAL NAME Federal Republic of Germany
CAPITAL Berlin
AREA 357,000 square kilometers
POPULATION (2001) 82 million
LANGUAGE German (official)
NATIONAL HOLIDAY 3 October
POLITICAL SYSTEM Parliamentary Republic
HEAD OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT. President Johannes Rau

Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder

MAIN CITIES Berlin (3.4 million), Hamburg (1.6 million), Munich (1.2 million), Cologne (1 million), and Frankfurt (0.6 million)
CURRENCY Euro


Politics:

Germany is a parliamentary federative republic formed by 16 states (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, and Thuringia). Germany’s legislative power is vested in the Bundesrat (Federal Council formed by the state president-ministers) and in the Bundestag (Federal Parliament formed by about 600 deputies, who are elected by district and proportional vote for 4-year terms). The head of State is the President of the Republic, who is elected by indirect vote for a 5-year term. The head of Government is the Federal Chancellor, who is chosen by the party or coalition with the highest number of seats in the Bundestag. Judicial power is vested in the Federal Constitutional Court headquartered in Karlsruhe.

In the 1998 elections, Social-democrat Gerhard Schröder defeated Christian-democrat Helmut Kohl – who had been in power since 1982 – and formed a coalition government with the Green Party of the now Federal Vice-Chancellor and Minister of External Relations, Joschka Fisher. In addition to SPD (Social-Democrat Party), CDU (Christian-Democrat Union), and the Greens, other parties of political relevance are the FDP (the central-wing Liberal Democratic Party), and the PDS (the former communist Democratic Socialism Party). In Bavaria the Christian-democracy is represented by CSU (Christian-Social Union). The next elections are scheduled for the second semester of 2002.


Brazil-Germany relations (main points):

· Brazilian and German governments maintain a frequent and intense dialogue at the most different levels, with emphasis on the regular contacts between President Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. The two countries have coordinated their positions in forums such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the G-20.
· Germany is Brazil’s main economic partner in Europe. It is among the five major sources of direct foreign investment in Brazil (together with the United States, Spain, France, and the Netherlands) and is one of our three most important commercial partners (next to the US and Argentina).
· The two countries promote, on a yearly basis, an important meeting between Brazilian and German governmental authorities and business leaders (the Brazil-Germany Economic Meeting) to follow up on, coordinate, and stimulate bilateral economic relations.
· Brazil and Germany develop intense bilateral cooperation in fields such as the environment, science and technology, and training and upgrading of human resources. The many projects jointly implemented by the two countries have provided concrete contributions to the benefit of the population in both countries.
· It is estimated that about 12 million Brazilians descend from German immigrants who have settled in Brazil in the past 180 years. Germany was the fourth biggest source of European immigration to Brazil, next to Portugal, Italy and Spain.
· In the field of regional integration, Brazil and Germany are among the main promoters of negotiations between Mercosur and the European Union, aimed at the creation of a free-trade area. The two countries have the largest economies in their respective blocs.


Brazil-Germany Trade (in US$ million FOB):

  1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001*
Exports 2.158 2.082 2.607 3.005 2.544 2.525 1.937
Imports 4.720 4.617 5.132 5.239 4.713 4.420 3.709
Balance         -2.169 -1.895 -1.771

*janeiro a setembro; fonte: MDIC


Stock of German investments in Brazil (in US$ million) and % over the general total:

1970 % 1985 % 1995 %
450 13,2 7.100 25,4 8.500 17,0
1997 % 1999 % 2001 %
9.300 11,9 10.900 8,1 12.500 6,8

Source: DE-I (estimation based on data provided by the Central Bank and Chambers of Commerce)

Main German companies in Brazil: Volkswagen, DaimlerChrysler, Siemens, BASF, Bayer, Bosch, and Aventis.

Source: Valor 100.


Main events in bilateral relations (1995-2001) :

July 1995 Brazilian External Relations Minister Luiz Felipe Lampreia visits Germany
September 1995 Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso visits Germany
November 1995 German President Roman Herzog visits Brazil
November 1995 Brazil-Germany Economic Meeting (São Paulo/Brazil)
June 1996 Brazilian External Relations Minister Luiz Felipe Lampreia visits Germany.
September 1996 German Chancellor Helmut Kohl visits Brazil
October 1996 Brazil-Germany Economic Meeting (Dresden/Germany)
November 1996 Saxony’s Minister-President Kurt Biedenkopf visits Brazil
February 1997 Brazilian Vice President Marco Macie1 visits Germany
March 1997 Bavaria’s Minister-President Edmund Stoiber visits Brazil
September 1997. Brazil-Germany Economic Meeting (Rio de Janeiro/Brazil)
June 1998 Brazil-Germany Economic Meeting (Munich/Germany)
November 1998. Brazilian External Relations Minister Luiz Felipe Lampreia visits Germany
April 1999 Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso visits Germany
June 1999 Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso visits Germany
June 1999 German Justice Minister Herta Däubler-Gmelin visits Brazil
June 1999 German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder attends the I Latin America/Caribbean-European Union Summit (Rio de Janeiro/Brazil).
November 1999 Brazil-Germany Economic Meeting (Belo Horizonte/Brazil)
May 2000 German Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul visits Brazil
May/June 2000 Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso visits Germany (Hannover 2000 and Berlin meeting)
October 2000 Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso visits Germany
October 2000 Brazil-Germany Economic Meeting (Potsdam/Germany)
March 2001 Bundestag President Wolfgang Thierse visits Brazil
October 2001 German Finance Minister Hans Eichel visits Brazil
November 2001 Brazil-Germany Economic Meeting (Curitiba/Brazil)


Main bilateral agreements:

1996 - Technical Cooperation Framework Agreement (in force)
1996 - Framework Agreement on Cooperation in Scientific Research and Technological
Development (in force)
1995 - Agreement on the Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investments (under
ratification by the Brazilian party)
1983 - Maritime Transportation Agreement (in force)
1975 - Cooperation Agreement on the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy (in force)
1975 - Agreement to Avoid Double Taxation (in force)
1974 - Agreement Establishing the Economic Cooperation Commission (in force)
1973 - Space Research Agreement (in force)
1969 - Cultural Agreement (in force)
1964 - Regular Air Transportation Agreement (in force)
1827 – Trade and Navigation Treaties between the Brazilian Empire and the Kingdom of
              Prussia and between the Brazilian Empire and the Free and Hanseatic Cities of
              Lübeck, Bremen, and Hamburg (no longer in force)
.


Links:

German Government: http://www.regierung.de
German Ministry of External Relations: http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de
Deutsche Welle: http://www.dwelle.de
Brazil-Germany Chamber of Commerce and Industry: http://www.ahkbrasil.com
Brazilian Embassy in Germany: http://www.brasilianische-botschaft.de
German Embassy in Brazil: http://www.embaixada-alemanha.org.br