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BBC.Monday, Wednesday, 7 November, 2001, 09:07 GMT More than a decade on from the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Germany is still waiting for the dust to settle. Now unified, it is Europe's major industrial power and the world's second-biggest exporter. OVERVIEW But former Chancellor Helmut Kohl's boast, in 1990, that the eastern region which was blighted by communism would soon be transformed into a "blossoming landscape" proved hollow. The economy in the east is still weak and fragile, with higher unemployment than in the prosperous west. And while Germany remains acutely sensitive to racist and anti-Semitic violence as a result of its Nazi past, a newly-resurgent and violent neo-Nazi movement is especially strong in the east. Gerhard Schroeder's government, which came to power in 1998, has had a difficult time with poor results in regional elections. But its political woes were eclipsed in January 2000 when former Chancellor Helmut Kohl was forced to resign as honorary chairman of the Christian Democrats over a party funding scandal which shook the establishment to its core. FACTS
LEADERS President: Johannes Rau Chancellor: Gerhard Schroeder In September 1998 Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democratic Party (SPD) election victory brought to an end the 16-year chancellorship of conservative Helmut Kohl. Schroeder became active in the SPD early in his career as a lawyer. He was first elected to Germany's lower house of parliament in 1980. Political analysts have noted how his "Neue Mitte" or New Centre ideas correspond to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's "Third Way". But Britain's indecision on the euro has not made Blair an ideal partner - leaving Schroeder looking to France in the quest for European harmony. Foreign
Minister: Joschka Fischer The German television market is the largest in Europe with some 34 million TV households, it is characterised by a large public sector, organised along both regional and national lines - reflecting the country's federal political structure - and powerful commercial operators. Each of the country's 16 regions has its own legislation covering private and public broadcasting. Commercial channels were introduced in 1984. The comprehensive offer of free-to-air public and commercial channels (around 30 on average), widely available thanks to a 90% cable and satellite TV penetration rate, has acted as a brake on the development of pay-TV services. Analogue switch-off is planned for 2010. While the press and broadcasters are free and independent, the display of swastikas and statements endorsing Nazism are illegal. Although there are several national newspapers, the press market is strongest at a regional level. The press Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Sueddeutsche Zeitung Die Welt Der Spiegel Die ZeitTelevision ARD ZDF n-tv N24 RTLRadio ARD Deutsche Welle Deutschland RadioNews agency DPA |
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