Introduction

Germany (officially the Federal Republic of Germany is a country in Central and Western
Europe, lying between the Baltic and North Seas to the north, and the Alps to the south. It
borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and
Switzerland to the south, France to the southwest, and Luxembourg, Belgium and the
Netherlands to the west.

Germany includes 16 constituent states, covers an area of 357,386 square kilometres (137,988 sq
mi)and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 83 million inhabitants, it is the second
most populous state of Europe after Russia, the most populous state lying entirely in Europe, as
well as the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is a very decentralized
country. Its capital and largest metropolis is Berlin, while Frankfurt serves as its financial capital
and has the country's busiest airport. Germany's largest urban area is the Ruhr, with its main
centres of Dortmund and Essen. The country's other major cities are Hamburg, Munich, Cologne,
Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Leipzig, Dresden, Bremen, Hannover, and Nuremberg.

PEST Analysis for Germany

PEST analysis is a management tool, which helps assess the macro-environmental factors. The
analysis can be conducted for companies, projects, and even countries. I have completed a PEST
analysis for Germany here. The article is all about the factors affecting Germany. PEST analysis
is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social and Technological. I will discuss all of these
elements in details.

The Federal Republic of Germany consists of 16 states covering 357,021 square kilometers. The
population is 81.8 million inhabitants. Germany is among the leading political powers of Europe.
In some fields, it is also deemed as the technological leader.

Germany has the 4th largest economy in the world. It is the 2nd largest exporter and 3rd largest
importer. Over the years, Germans established a very high standard of living and social security.
The nation takes pride as Germany was home to many influential scientists and inventors. But
most of all, people know the country for its political and cultural history.

I can say a lot more about the country but let’s focus on the key elements of PEST. Below, I have
classified the factors which have an effect on Germany.

Political Factors
Germany is a democratic republic. The political system functions under a system called
Grundgesetz which was published in the 1949 constitutional document. The Social Democratic
Party and the Christian Democratic Union leads the political system since 1949. The legislature,
the judiciary, and the executive are the 3 wings which make up Government of Germany.

The Constitution of The Federal Republic of Germany lays down the fundamental structure of
the government. It dictates what value system the nation should follow. It is the main source of
authority. Following a system that was made so many years ago has some effects on Germany.

Economic Factors

Germany has comparatively low raw materials. It only has potash and lignite in a significant
amount. The power plants which burn lignite are among the main sources of electricity for
Germans. It is the leading producer of solar power technology and wind turbines. Most of the
other resources including natural gas and oil are from other countries. Germany imports about
two-third of its energy. In fact, it is the world’s 3rd largest energy importer.

The service sector contributes 70% of the GDP. Industry contributes 29.1% while agriculture
backs 0.9%. Most products are in engineering. Automobiles, metals, machinery and chemical
goods are some items they are proud of. German cities like Berlin, Frankfurt and Hanover hold
the largest annual international trade fairs.

Popular global brands are BMW, Mercedes Benz, Adidas, Porsche, Audi, DHL, Volkswagen, T-
Mobile, Lufthansa, Nivea, and SAP. Between the years 1991 and 2010, local firms took part in
301 acquisitions and 40 mergers.

Socio–cultural Factors

Like I mentioned above, Germany has around 82 million residents. This means it is the largest
EU country in terms of population. I would describe it as a modern, multicultural country. The
society is molded by a variety of lifestyles. There are traces of some truly different ethnocultural
diversity. Even though a lot of social changes took place, the family is still the most important
social reference unit. Young people have really good relationships with their parents.

Local architecture, music, literature, art and sports are fields which reflect the socio-cultural
scene of Germany. The unique architectural styles of the country are the result of the
fragmentation during centuries. Some mentionable sites include the Abbey Church of St.
Michaels, the Speyer Cathedral, and the Cologne Cathedral. Germany has been home to many
renowned classical music composers like Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Johann
Sebastian Bach and Richard Wagner. It is flourishing in the music market.
German literature dates back to the Middle Ages. It is world famous. Popular local authors
include Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller, Bertolt Brecht, Thomas Mann, and
Hermann Hesse. Every year, the Frankfurt Book Fair, which is the biggest book fair ever, is held.

Some of the best art pieces were made in Germany. It is also popular for its old tradition in visual
arts. Awesome German innovations include printmaking, Gothic art, and wooden engravings.
Some of the Major renaissance artists like Hans Holbein the Younger and Matthias Grunewald
were from Germany.

Many international sporting events have represented Germany in the past. This includes FIFA
World Cup, Formula One, Summer Olympics, ice hockey and tennis tournaments. It is among
the leading motor sports countries. It manufactures motor brands like BMW and Mercedes.

Technological Factors

Germany backs national science and technology in many ways. It houses independent
laboratories. There are national laboratories and also private research. The industry supports
several important types of research and development. The Ministry of Science and Technology is
an organization which coordinates and decided priorities for the national science and technology
programs in Germany.

The Natural History Museum in Berlin has mineralogical, geological, zoological, and botanical
components. There are many specialized scholarly societies concerned with agriculture and
veterinary science, the natural sciences, medicine, and technology.

Germany’s position in the European Union has a noteworthy science and technology
components. The country provides funding for broad European research and development. It also
offers scientists and laboratories. There are many universities and colleges in the country which
offer basic and applied sciences.

As I mentioned repeatedly in this article, Germany’s automobile industry is its greatest strength.
Optical communication links, nanotech materials, and many other innovations will perhaps be
used in cars. German carmakers are hoping that computer-based assistance systems will make
driving more comfortable and safer.

The analysis above helps us understand that Germany is a very advanced country. It is spending
a lot of money on research and development. Their culture gives emphasizes in music, literature,
art and sports. But, they still value family the most. Germany is beautiful. It is very peaceful
nation, especially to conduct business. The people are educated and the living standard is high.
You must realize that it is a great country, but it still has potential to grow.
Are France and Germany Breaking Up?

BERLIN — Times are rough for the European Union. The news coming from Britain grows
more depressing every day. Italy is governed by a maverick government searching for an open
confrontation with France. Hungary and Poland are slowly slipping into authoritarianism. And
we are headed for a European election in May that could result in further gains by populist
parties.

It is tempting, then, to see a ray of hope in an agreement by Germany and France, announced on
Friday, for a eurozone budget, which the two countries will present to their fellow member
states. Maybe, after years of delay, Paris and Berlin are finally taking the initiative to reverse
Europe’s seemingly unstoppable, slow-motion disintegration.

Not so fast. This latest deal aside, France and Germany, both founding powers of the European
Union and its most powerful members, have been growing increasingly at odds. The discord is
driven in part by differences over concrete policy proposals. But the bigger, intractable problem
is a fundamental difference in their visions for Europe.

This being Europe, the two countries have done their best to paper over their differences with
rhetorical displays of unity. In November, French president Emmanuel Macron stood on the
floor of the German Bundestag to deliver a speech marking the 100th anniversary of the end of
World War I. Not holding back, he described the Franco-German relationship as one of “love”
— a love born of the many catastrophes of the 20th century. On Jan. 22, the two countries even
renewed their vows, so to speak, by signing an update to the 1963 Elysée Treaty, which
announced a new era of comity between the two former enemies.

Germany’s Brandenburg state to take in 60 Yezidi survivors of ISIS: MP

The Parliament of Brandenburg approved the decision in 2016 to take in 60 Ezidi women
survivors” from the Kurdistan Region to Germany, but the implementation was delayed, and it is
expected to happen this year in April, Johlige told Kurdistan 24.

“Two million euros had been dedicated to this program as the first stage to cover the expenditure
of the medical treatment and taking care of the victims,” she added.

On the delay of the project’s implementation, the German lawmaker pointed to delay in approval
from the German government as well as the need to prepare the accommodations and
mechanisms to take the Ezidis into the country.

She noted that the program, for now, would only include the survivors who the Islamic State
kidnapped and raped. Johlige explained that it is challenging for Ezidi women to open a new
page in their lives or even to decide whether to keep the babies they gave birth to after the
extremists raped them.The emergence of the Islamic State and its violent assault on Sinjar
(Shingal) in 2014 led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Ezidis. Most of them fled
to the Kurdistan Region, while others resettled to neighboring countries in the region or Western
states. Others were not as lucky and remained stranded in the war zone, where they experienced
atrocities and mass executions at the hands of the extremist group for years. Militants subjected
women and girls to sexual slavery, kidnapped children, forced religious conversions, executed
scores of men, and abused, sold, and trafficked females across areas they controlled in Iraq and
Syria.

German Embassy displays contemporary Saudi art

German Ambassador Jörg Ranau and his wife Heike Ranau hosted the opening reception of a
contemporary art exhibition in their residence. The exhibition showcased the works of seven
Saudi artists: sculptors Talal Al Tokhais, Mohammed Al Thaqafi and Ali Al Tokhais, as well as
painters Najla Al Saleem, Fahad Al Naima, Shuruq Al Safran and Talal Al Zeid.
The joyful and festive event brought together about 80 dignitaries, businesspeople, academics,
artists as well as members of the German community and the Saudi civil society to celebrate the
rich artistic scene in Saudi Arabia. Further opportunities for the general public to see the
artworks are provided by two visitor’s days on Feb. 26-27.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Ranau referred to the rich cultural traditions of Saudi
Arabia, which have influenced the contemporary art works displayed at the exhibition. He also
commended the artists for their success in reaching out to international audiences as many of
them have already exhibited in the US, Europe and the Gulf region, some of them even in
Germany.

Germany's Roth: UK must propose something new to justify Brexit delay

Britain could delay its withdrawal from the European Union once, for a short time but must put
something substantially new on the table to make the case for a postponement, Germany’s
European Affairs Minister Michael Roth said on Wednesday.

“You can delay once, a single time, we are talking about a few weeks or few months, otherwise
Britain would have to participate in the European elections,” Roth told German ZDF television.

“For us it is important that something substantially new would be put on the table to justify a
delay. Then we would all have to vote on it ... No one wants to punish the Britons, if we can
achieve something with a delay, we would be the last ones to stand in the way,” he added

Germany’s economy shrinks for the first time since early 2015
Germany’s economy just saw its worst quarter for several years, flash data showed on
Wednesday morning, but with news of a draft Brexit deal and Italy refusing to budge on its
controversial budget plans, you’d be forgiven for not noticing.

Initial third-quarter growth data showed the Germany economy shrunk by 0.2 percent quarter-
on-quarter, the first time it has contracted since the first quarter of 2015, according to Reuters. It
was also below an estimate for a 0.1 percent contraction. More details have yet to be released,
but the Economy Ministry said Germany had seen weak private consumption and strong imports
in the third quarter which had a negative impact on foreign trade’s contribution to growth,
Reuters reported.

German business confidence dips again as economy cools

The German economy is cooling down. That is the standout assessment from a key business
climate survey, published by the Munich-based Ifo Institute on Monday. The Ifo Business
Climate Index fell to 102.0 points in November from 102.9 points in October, marking its third
consecutive decrease.

Despite Germany’s position as Europe’s biggest economy, the euro currency strengthened in
Monday morning trade. This as traders focused on news that Italy may agree to address its
contentious budget plan as well as the weekend signing of the Brexit deal between the EU and
the U.K.

Germany's economic forces at play

Ahead of the September 24 national elections, surveys show that Germans are satisfied with the
state of their economy. However, analysts warn cracks are appearing and if Angela Merkel is
elected to a fourth term as German chancellor she will have to deal with them. There's no
disputing Germany's economic success story: The country's central bank projects that this year's
growth might be even stronger than the 1.9 percent posted last year. Unemployment is at a post-
unification low of 5.7 percent and the government's budget is in surplus.

However, Germany has the world's second-oldest population after Japan and the income gap
between the richest and poorest Germans is growing, spurring calls for greater investment in
education and infrastructure.

German economy contracts for first time since 2015

Europe's largest economy shrank by 0.2% between July and September, as global trade disputes
had a knock-on effect for Europe's largest economy. It was the economy's first quarter-on-quarter
fall since 2015. Meanwhile, the eurozone economy as a whole grew at its slowest rate for four
years in the third quarter, the European statistics agency confirmed. Germany's economy grew by
1.1% from July to September, compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the Federal
Statistics Office said.
"The slight decline in GDP compared to the previous quarter was mainly due to foreign trade
developments: provisional calculations show there were fewer exports, but more imports in the
third quarter than in the second," the Destatis office said.

Germany: New synagogue opens in Regensburg, 80 years after Nazi-led pogrom

Three rabbis lifted Thora rolls into their safekeeping shrine inside Regensburg's new synagogue
Wednesday, built on the site where the previous house of worship was destroyed in 1938 during
then-Nazi Germany's November pogrom.

The new synagogue had risen "from the ashes," said Josef Chaim Bloch, rabbi to Regensburg's
1,000-member Jewish community, at Wednesday's opening that also marked 500 years exactly
since a 16th century expulsion of hundreds of Jewish residents.

Germany's 16 states: North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia, in the far west of Germany, is the state with the highest population and
the greatest contribution (21 percent) to the domestic economy, even though the coal and steel
industries are now history. An especially impressive testament from the heyday of industry in
this region is the Zollverein Industrial Mine Complex in Essen, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Germans trust China more than the US, survey finds

Germans have an increasingly negative view of the relationship between their country and the
US, a survey released on Friday indicated, with many seeing China as a more reliable partner.
Just over 42 percent of Germans who took part in the study said they saw China as a more
reliable partner than the US, compared with 23.1 percent who favored the US over China. The
study was carried out by the research organization Civey and the not-for-profit group Atlantik-
Brücke (Atlantic Bridge), which promotes greater cooperation between the US and Germany.

In the survey summary, Michael Werz, from the Center for American Progress think tank and a
member of the Atlantik-Brücke board, said that "despite all legitimate criticism of the current US
government," Germans should "not let anti-American sentiment blind them to the dangers
emanating from the authoritarian systems of Russia and China."

Muslims say Germany should provide Bundeswehr with imams

Nariman Reinke, a naval petty officer, is one of about 1,500 Muslim soldiers who serve in the
Bundeswehr. Born to Moroccarn parents in 1979, Reinke has been in the military since 2005 and
has twice deployed to Afghanistan. But being a Muslim woman in the German military is not
always easy, she told DW. Reinke is deputy chair of Deutscher.Soldat (German.Soldier), which
works to integrate people of color and members of recent immigrant groups or religious
minorities into the military.

The Bundeswehr provides priests for Catholic and Protestant soldiers, but no spiritual counsel for
Muslims. Reinke said she had attempted to bring this disparity up more than once, even taking
the matter up with Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, but there has been no progress over
several years. It is frustrating for her and her Muslim colleagues that, so far, nobody has
responded to her demands, she said.

German 'air taxi' firm to test in Singapore in 2019

Millions of commuters in the region's cities have to contend with chronic gridlock every day,
sparking a race to develop new ways to avoid the snarl-ups. While the developed city-state of
Singapore does not suffer major congestion, it is seen as a perfect test-bed for new technologies
due to its compact size and openness to innovation.

Volocopter holds a preliminary permit to fly from the German authorities since 2016 and is
cooperating with the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) to receive a full commercial
license. They fly regularly in Germany and have performed numerous public flights, according
to the company.

Apple Pay to be launched in Germany before end of year

after it was first launched in the US. The service will be introduced in the Bundesrepublik by the
end of the year, CEO Tim Cook said on Tuesday at a presentation of current quarterly figures.
Cook did not initially disclose further details such as the names of participating supermarket
chains.With Apple Pay, users can pay for their purchases by holding their iPhone or Apple watch
against the payment terminal at a checkout desk. A prerequisite for payment with the system is
that the terminal is equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. Apple Pay can
also be used to pay for online purchases and apps.

German automakers are biggest global spenders on electric cars

Over the past two years, German carmakers Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW announced 4.7
billion euros of investment worldwide in electric cars, the study by consultancy EY found. That
far outstripped the 335 million invested by US manufacturers and just 19 million by Japanese
firms. Adding up investments announced by the world's biggest 16 manufacturers over the past
two years, Germany was the biggest destination with some 3.2 billion euros poured into electric
cars -- far more than China's 990 million euros or the 887 million seen in the United States.

In Yemen war, coalition forces rely on German arms and technology

The "world of war," as one observer put it, was on display in Abu Dhabi last week. At IDEX, the
Middle East's biggest defense fair, more than 1,200 companies showed off their latest state-of-
the-art defense technology. Many of the stands were manned by the representatives of German
arms manufacturers. This year the host, the United Arab Emirates, awarded military
procurement contracts worth more than $5 billion (€4.4 billion) with national and international
companies, including American and European arms manufacturers. The Emirates have long been
one of Germany's top clients when it comes to arms and defense technology. But since 2015, its
military has been one of the major parties at war in one of the world's most deadly conflicts: the
war in Yemen.