Oberhausen, November 2014. The consequences of demographic change are already evident in Germany today – but also in other European countries: the population is shrinking and ageing. According to UN calculations, if the birth rate remains constant, the percentage of people over the age of 65 will rise from its current level of approx. 20%…
Berlin, November 2016. Around 17 million people with a migration background live in Germany. What role do they play in political life and how do they make their voices heard? In the last election for the German parliament (Bundestag), 5.8 million immigrants were eligible to vote (a figure set to further increase) and can therefore…
Hamburg, March 2018. An estimated 130,000 young refugees have been absorbed into the German school system since 2015. Most lack sufficient knowledge of German, many have missed one or more years of school and some have been traumatised by war and their refugee journey. Many of the young refugees living in larger cities go to…
Berlin, April 2016. In 2015, around 890,000 refugees arrived in Germany – about 70% are of working age and roughly two-thirds are under the age of 30. Around half of all asylum applications were approved in 2015. The integration of such a large group of immigrants has been the subject of heated public debates for many months.…
Berlin, November 2014. After many years with an attitude to labour migration that can at best be described as reluctant, in recent years, Germany’s immigration policy has undergone a rapid change from a policy of protection to a policy of recruitment. Since August 2012, Germany has created many legal possibilities for immigration that are liberal…
Warsaw, Poland, April 2017. Germany and Poland have a great deal in common, despite their differences. Following an eventful history, German-Polish relations today stand on a firm foundation. Economically and culturally the two countries are closely interlinked: Germany has been Poland’s most important trading partner for more than two decades, and in no other foreign…
Bochum, Germany/Montpellier, France, March 2015. Do German skilled workers go abroad because they expect the red carpet treatment? And are the ones who return really usually ‘the failures’? The current number of more than 100,000 Germans who emigrate every year are mostly young, highly skilled and without family ties or childless couples. The most popular…
Berlin, December 2014. Parents play a key role in a child’s educational success. Data shows that the children’s educational achievements are greatest when learning doesn’t just happen at day care or school, but is also supported by the parents. Involving parents in the activities at day care centres and schools is thus more than a…
