DAccording to the Council of Europe, Germany must do significantly more to combat poverty, housing shortages and the exclusion of disabled people. The high level of poverty and social disadvantage in Germany is disproportionate to the country’s wealth, according to a report by the Council of Europe that will be published in Strasbourg on Tuesday. It also talks about “growing inequality” in the Federal Republic. Even though Berlin has taken welcome steps towards an accessible social system, further efforts are needed to combat growing inequality. In Germany, social rights are not always viewed as a legally binding obligation, but are dependent on resources.
Poverty is a big problem, especially for children, seniors and people with disabilities. Decisive steps are needed to break the cycle of child poverty, the report says. Children’s rights also need to be strengthened and coordinated with a central authority, because otherwise the needs of children and young people would be overlooked in political decisions – such as during the corona pandemic, according to the Council of Europe. In addition, action must be taken against the high poverty rate among senior citizens.
According to the information, only limited progress has been made overall in the rights of disabled people: inclusion and participation are not possible in many areas. The Council of Europe justifies this with a lack of political commitment and well-financed but exclusionary structures such as workshops for the disabled, special schools or residential homes for people with disabilities. This would make it difficult to achieve an independent life. Instead, integrative structures are needed.
Concerns about increasing homelessness
When it comes to the lack of living space, the Council of Europe welcomed the government’s commitment to combating the crisis. However, the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner, Dunja Mijatović, expressed concern about increasing homelessness in Germany. Unfortunately, the right to housing as a human right for everyone is only recognized to a limited extent. Germany must use all available means, including interventions in the housing market and changes to tenancy law. Mijatovic welcomed the measures taken by the federal government, such as reforming the social system to make it more accessible, increasing social security benefits and offering more training opportunities for the unemployed. However, further efforts are needed to combat “growing inequality”.
The Equality Act also needs to be significantly improved in order to limit discrimination in various areas. Particular attention should therefore be paid to growing racism, which has the potential to undermine social cohesion and destabilize democratic institutions, the report says.
More money for social housing
From Berlin it was said that the federal government shared “the Commissioner’s concerns regarding the increasing number of homeless people in Germany”. The German side pointed out that it had been decided for the first time to adopt a national action plan to overcome homelessness.
The stock of social housing in Germany has “melted down” from around three million apartments in 1990 to currently around one million social rental apartments. However, it is currently planned that the federal government will provide the states with a total of 18.15 billion euros in federal funds for social housing construction between 2022 and 2027.
This sum will be co-financed by the states, “so that experience shows that more than twice as much will be available for the creation of social and affordable housing.” This “initiated the trend reversal towards a perspectively rebuilding social housing stock”.
New strategy against xenophobia
To combat xenophobia, Berlin said that the federal government is “currently working on a new strategy” with a “comprehensive approach” that should include “repressive” and “preventive” approaches.
The Council of Europe, which sees itself as a guardian of human rights, is made up of 46 countries. The country organization based in Strasbourg advocates democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The now published report follows a visit by Mijatovic to Germany at the end of last year. She met federal ministers and representatives at local level and from civil society.
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