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Germany

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Last reviewed: 16 November 2009

Country information

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Germany enjoys good relations with other EU member states and with the US. As a founding member of the EU, Germany has maintained a close post-war relationship with France. Following reunification Germany has sought to strengthen its relations with Eastern Europe and Russia. Germany as also signed a treaty with Poland recognising its external borders.

Germany’s relations with the UK

British cultural relations in Germany are led by the British Council.

British Council: Germany

Over 400 British towns have a twin in Germany. A database of all UK town twinnings - including those with Germany - can be found on the website of the Local Government International Bureau.

There are also a number of British-German organisations that promote better relations between our two countries:

British-German Forum Wilton Park

The British-German Forum is an annual event, sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to bring together 40 young "high flyers" from the United Kingdom and Germany for four days to discuss key issues of relevance to both countries. The British German Forum takes place in the relaxed atmosphere of Wilton House in the Sussex countryside. If you are interested in participating, contact Wilton Park by telephone on 00 44 1903 815020 or go to:

British-German Forum - Wilton Park

German-British Forum

A privately funded organisation set up in 1995. The Forum supports ventures in the political, social and economic fields, aimed at increasing understanding and knowledge among Britons and Germans about the partner country. It gives high priority to raising and improving the profile of the German-British partnership in the media and public opinion.

German-British Forum

The Anglo-German Foundation for the Study of Industrial Society

The Anglo-German Foundation for the Study of Industrial Society was established in 1973 by an agreement between the British and German governments following a state visit by the then German President, Gustav Heinemann. The Foundation is incorporated by Royal Charter and awards £500,000 - £600,000 per year in grants for British-German collaborative research projects, seminars, workshops and conferences. Its four priority topics are health care systems, the work-life balance, employment and social policies for an ageing society, and migration and the labour market.

The Royal Charter expires in December 2009 and will not be renewed.

The Anglo-German Foundation for the Study of Industrial Society

The British-German Association

The British-German Association, a registered charity, seeks to promote the closest possible understanding between the United Kingdom and Germany. The association organises events in the London area, while its affiliated societies run varied programmes throughout the UK.

The British-German Association

UK-German Connection

UK-German Connection is a bilateral youth links initiative that arose out of HM the Queen’s State Visit to Germany in November 2004. It was set up by the two governments in to promote contact between young people in the two countries. It is supported by both the British and the German governments.
(www.ukgermanconnection.org)

Königswinter

The Königswinter conference is a high-level forum bringing together leading figures from politics, industry, academia and the media in Britain and Germany. It has been an annual event since 1949 and is held alternately in the UK and Germany. This year’s conference took place in Oxford from 23-25 March 2006.

The Königswinter family also includes the ‘Young Königswinter’ conference (a week long conference held in Berlin for 25-30 year olds), and the annual Economic Königswinter.

German Tourist Board

Recent Visits

HM Queen & HRH Prince Phillip made a state visit to Germany in November 2004, where they were greeted by President Köhler. HRH The Prince of Wales visited Germany in April 2009.

The Prime Minister and Chancellor Merkel meet regularly, underlining the close co-operation between the UK and Germany. Both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secreatry were in Berlin on 9 November 2009 for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Foreign and Europe Ministers also meet frequently and UK Ministers from across government meet their German counterparts in both EU and bilateral contexts.

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