Germany EU Member
Overview
Capital: Berlin
Official EU language(s): German
EU Member State: since 1 January 1958
Currency: euro (€)
Euro area: member since 1 January 1999
Schengen: member since 26 March 1995
Figures:
- Geographical size: 357 569 km2
- Population: 83 445 000 (2024)
(Source: Eurostat – figures for geographical size and population)
Political system
Germany is a federal parliamentary republic with a chancellor who is the head of government, and a president who is the head of state and whose main responsibilities are representative. The country consists of 16 states (Länder) which each have their own constitution and are largely autonomous regarding their internal organisation. 3 of these are city-states: Bremen, Berlin and Hamburg.
Trade and economy
Germany ranks seventh in the European Union in terms of GDP per capita with €43 400, well above the EU average (€37 600). It accounts for 24.2% of the EU’s total GDP.
(Source: Eurostat - figures for GDP per capita and GDP)
Budgets and funding
How does Germany benefit from the EU budget?
The EU budget is the tool to ensure that Europe remains a democratic, peaceful, prosperous and competitive force. The EU uses it to finance its priorities and big projects that most individual EU countries could not finance on their own.
The benefits of EU membership significantly exceed the size of the EU budget contributions and the examples are many. All Member States benefit from being part of the Single Market, a shared approach to the common challenges of migration, terrorism and climate change, and concrete gains like better transport infrastructure, modernised and digitalised public services and cutting-edge medical treatment.
How much each EU country pays into the EU budget is calculated fairly. The larger your country’s economy, the more it pays – and vice versa.
The EU budget is not about giving and taking – it’s about collectively contributing to making Europe and the world a better place for us all.
EU-funded projects in Germany
Money from the EU budget helps fund programmes and projects in all EU countries – for example to build roads, subsidise researchers and protect the environment.
Find out more about how Germany benefits from EU funding and recovery funds in your country or region.
