Coordination at national level

• Author: Matthias Mahlmann
• Pages: 89-89

89

9COORDINATION AT NATIONAL LEVEL

There is no body that has centralised authority in this regard. The authorities concerned

with issues of discrimination include the Federal ministries, the Federal Anti-Discrimination

Agency, the Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration and the committees of

the German Parliament, to name just a few.

In 2017, the Federal Government adopted a national action plan against racism – Positions

and Measures to deal with Ideologies of Inequality and Related Discrimination (Nationaler

Aktionsplan gegen Rassismus – Positionen und Massnahmen zum Umgang mit Ideologien

der Ungleichwertigkeit und den darauf bezogenen Diskriminierungen), which includes

homophobia and transphobia.449Specific measures include: improved information; training

of administration and the judiciary; improved documentation; prevention and prosecution

of hate crimes; expansion of cooperation of police and civil society; political education,

including for the German armed forces; increased diversity in the civil service; guidelines

for the administration to help civil servants who are transgender express their identity;

measures to deal with discriminatory ideologies on the internet; and dialogue with

researchers and expanded research. The national action plan was introduced as an

additional step towards strengthening social cohesion. Itis an expansion of the first

national action plan against racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and related intolerance

(Nationaler Aktionsplan der Bundesrepublik Deutschland zur Bekämpfung von Rassismus,

Fremdenfeindlichkeit, Antisemitismus und darauf bezogene Intoleranz), which was

launched in 2008 to prevent violence and discrimination by emphasising that neither

society nor politics are willing to tolerate such phenomena, to integrate minorities and to

promote ‘politics of recognition’ of diversity. However, the initial plan has been criticised

for mainly containing descriptions of already existing political and legal measures to combat

racism, xenophobia and antisemitism.450 The fact that both plans are non-binding when it

comes to homophobia and transphobia has been condemned by the LGBT community,

which has criticised the absence of a concrete LGBT national action plan to actually protect

their community.451

Due to the refugee crisis faced by Europe and Germany in particular, the Federal

Government adopted a national integration action plan in 2015.452

449See BT Drs. 18/7936. See the 2017 Action Plan:

www.bmfsfj.de/blob/116798/5fc38044a1dd8edec34de568ad59e2b9/nationaler-aktionsplan-rassismus-

data.pdf. In English, available at: www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/service/information-material-issued-

by-the-federal-government/national-action-plan-against-racism-1525904. LGBT organisations have made

the criticism that the plan contains no specific measures concerning the LGBT community and continues to

have no sufficiently tangible obligations.

450 Follmar-Otto/Cremer (2009), Der Nationale Aktionsplan der Bundesrepublik Deutschland gegen Rassismus.

Stellungnahme und Empfehlungen, Deutsches Institut für Menschenrechte, Policy Paper Nr. 12, January

2009. Available at: https://www.institut-fuer-menschenrechte.de/publikationen/show/policy-paper-no-12-

der-nationale-aktionsplan-der-bundesrepublik-deutschland-gegen-rassismus-stel/.

451 In December 2019, the Greens submitted a proposal to the Bundestag concerning a national action plan for

sexual and gender diversity(Vielfalt leben – Bundesweiten Aktionsplan für sexuelle Vielfalt auflegen). See:

https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/672608/5c590376abe67e654882a235a366d9f6/19-13-

67c_angef-SN_Petra-Follmar-Otto-data.pdf.

452 Seewww.bmfsfj.de/bmfsfj/aktuelles/alle-meldungen/neustart-in-deutschland--integrationsplan-

vorgestellt/90032.