Overview:

• Recognition and registration are amalgamated; the system revolves around attaining PLC status which corresponds to legal registration with some additional fairly unique benefits; PLC status is bestowed to religious organisations; the orientations of these vary across many denominations, primarily of Abrahamic religions.

• The registration process centres on provincial bestowal rather than national; this segmented structure for procedures is problematic because it suggests that recognition and registration are not bestowed universally throughout the nation.

• Ongoing issues of antisemitism and Islamophobia demonstrate issue with recognition in the country and a lack of awareness on the importance of diversity.

Positive elements:

• A series of benefits exist to support religious groups as long as they have PLC status.

Recommendations:

• Establish provisions to bestow existential recognition in addition to the existent legal registration available.

• Revoke the provincially segmented structure of the recognition system to ensure universal bestowal; clarification on this aspect of the system and alterations made to it will raise Germany to receptive status.

• To achieve dynamic status, a recognition agency would need to be established that is independent of government.