Information meeting for foreign embassies

In his presentation, Parliamentary State Secretary Brauksiepe took stock of the last two years and reported on current challenges in labour and social policy. "Germany has emerged stronger from the 2008/2009 crisis," Dr Brauksiepe stated. The stimulus programmes initiated by the German government and Germany's functioning social partnership have led to Germany being in a better position than many other countries, he said, noting that the number of employed persons had risen to the highest level since German reunification.

However the current debt crisis has also had negative effects on the German economy, Dr Brauksiepe said: It has been necessary to adjust the growth forecast for 2012 downwards. It is therefore very important to stabilise the members of the euro zone and seek international solutions, he declared, stressing that Germany is mindful of its responsibility for ensuring a stable currency.

Dr Brauksiepe identified protection against poverty in old age as the second most important social policy challenge facing Germany. According to Dr Brauksiepe, this is a matter of recompensing the work people have done over the course of their lives through a pension. In this connection, the Parliamentary State Secretary outlined current considerations of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs which are presently being discussed as part of the government's pension dialogue with the political sector, social partners and industry representatives.

In another section of his presentation, the Parliamentary State Secretary addressed the effects of the complete freedom of movement which went into effect on 1 May 2011 for citizens of Member States which joined the European Union in 2004. There are no signs of a 'wave of immigration' to Germany which some people had feared, he reported. This has been chiefly due to the fact that Germany had taken steps to ensure labour mobility that is fair and flanked by measures in the social policy field, he explained. These steps included the introduction of sector-specific minimum wage rates.

In this connection he stressed that the immigration of qualified workers is just one element ‒alongside higher employment among women, the use of the potential offered by older workers, and the employment of youths ‒for ensuring that skilled labour needs in Germany are met.

The implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is another challenge in the social policy field, Dr Brauksiepe stated. Germany has a good instrument ‒the national action plan adopted in June of this year ‒for systematically advancing the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during the next ten years. This is of particular importance for the currently some 9.6 million people with disabilities in Germany and their family members, he stressed.

In conclusion, Dr Brauksiepe looked at current international challenges and the active role that Germany plays in them, such as in connection with the G20 Process. Shaping the social dimension of globalisation is a major thrust of international social policy, he noted. Germany particularly advocates that work and social affairs remain firmly-established issues in the framework of the G20 Process, Dr Brauksiepe said. Germany will be actively involved in the new Employment task force which will develop by the next meeting of the G20 labour ministers in 2012 proposals for fostering youth employment, he reported.

Following his presentation, representatives of the participating embassies used the opportunity to ask Dr Brauksiepe questions regarding details of individual points in his presentation.