oups

International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group,
BDEAC, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE,
EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA,
NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UPU, WADB (nonregional),
WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Juergen CHROBOG
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: (202) 298-8141
FAX: (202) 298-4249
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York, San Francisco
consulate(s): Wellington (America Samoa)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John C. KORNBLUM
embassy: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, 10117 Berlin
mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265
telephone: (30) 238-5174
FAX: (30) 238-6290
consulate(s) general: Dusseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig,
Munich

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red,
and gold

@Germany:Economy

Economy - overview: Germany possesses the world's third most
technologically powerful economy after the US and Japan, but its basic
capitalistic economy has started to struggle under the burden of
generous social benefits. Structural rigidities - like a high rate of
social contributions on wages - have made unemployment a long-term,
not just cyclical, problem, while Germany's aging population has
pushed social security outlays to exceed contributions from workers.
The integration and upgrading of the eastern German economy remains a
costly long-term problem, with annual transfers from the west
amounting to roughly $100 billion. Growth slowed to 1.5% in 1999,
largely due to lower export demand and still-low business confidence.
Recovering Asian demand, a push for fiscal consolidation, and newly
proposed business and income tax cuts - if passed - are expected to
boost growth back to trend rates around 2.5% in 2000 and beyond. The
adoption of a common European currency and the general political and
economic integration of Europe will bring major changes to the German
economy in the early 21st century.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.864 trillion (1999 e