IMMIGRATION TO THE FEDERAL-REPUBLIC-OF-GERMANY AS A DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIAL-PROBLEM

Addressing the question of immigration to Western Europe and especiall y to Germany from east and southeast Europe and from developing countr ies of the South, this article considers whether such immigration can compensate for reductions in population in developed countries. It is argued that the demographic deficits of an aging population can only b e corrected to a limited extent through immigration. Any solution, in order to be effective, must include a simultaneous increase in the bir thrates of Germany and other European Community countries. With partic ular regard to future social development in Germany and the EC, it wou ld be advisable for governments to effect measures that will provide b oth for controlled admissions of immigrants from outside the EC and an increase in local reproductive capabilities.