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German Federalism Reform: Part One

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2019

Arthur Gunlicks

Extract

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In October 2005 the German Law Journal published my article which reviewed the major characteristics of German federalism, some common criticisms, and efforts to reform the system in recent decades. These efforts culminated in a Federalism Commission (Kommission von Bundestag und Bundesrat zur Modernisierung der bundesstaatlichen Ordnung [KOMBO]) that was formed in the fall of 2003 and met until December 2004, when the co-chairs announced that the Commission was unable to reach agreement on several issues, in particular the respective roles of the federal and Land (state) governments in higher education policy. The failure of federalism reform was lamented by most observers, and many regretted especially the fact that the Commission had agreed on far more issues than those on which it had disagreed.

Type
Developments
Information
German Law Journal , Volume 8 , Issue 1: Special Issue - What Future for Kosovo? , 01 January 2007 , pp. 111 - 131
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 by German Law Journal GbR 

References

1 Gunlicks, Arthur, German Federalism and Recent Reform Efforts, 6 German Law Journal 1283 (2005), at http://www.germanlawjournal.com/pdf/Vol06No10/PDF_Vol_06_No_10_1283-1296_SI_Articles_Gunlicks.pdf.Google Scholar

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8 The Bundestag and Bundesrat established a committee on December 15 to recommend changes in the system of public finances before the end of the current parliamentary session in 2009. 56 Das Parlament 51/52 (18/27 December 2006), at 1.Google Scholar

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21 In fact actual vetoes of legislation by the Bundesrat have been rare, though they do occur.Google Scholar

22 More common is a compromise package put together by members of the Bundestag and Bundesrat in the mediation committee.Google Scholar

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24 The fact that popular discontent with parties and politicians is found in varying degrees in virtually all Western democracies suggests that particular conditions in Germany are at best contributing factors.Google Scholar

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28 Kesper, , supra note 24, at 148.Google Scholar

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30 BVerfGE 106, 62; BVerfGE 106, 223–225.Google Scholar

31 BRDrucks 178/06, Artikel 1, para. 7(a) and (b); BRDrucks 462/06, (b).Google Scholar

32 Kesper, , supra note 24, at 150.Google Scholar

33 BVerfGE 111, 226.Google Scholar

34 BVerfGE 112, 226.Google Scholar

35 BRDrucks 178/06, Artikel 1, para. 12.Google Scholar

36 Mäding, Heinrich, Federalism and Education Planning in the Federal Republic of Germany, 19 Publius: The Journal of Federalism 115 (Fall 1989).Google Scholar

37 BRDrucks 178/06, Artikel 1, 13; BRDrucks 462/06, (d).Google Scholar

38 BRDrucks 178/06, Artikel 1, 16; BRDrucks 462/06, (e); Kesper, supra note 24, at 155–156.Google Scholar

39 BRDrucks 178/06, Artikel 1, 17; BRDrucks 462/06, (f).Google Scholar

40 For a brief analysis of Solidarity Pact II, see Gunlicks, Arthur B., A Major Operation or an Aspirin for a Serious Illness?, American Institute of Contemporary German Studies, 28 June 2001 (http://www.aicgs.org/analysis/at-issue/ai-gunlicks.aspx).Google Scholar

41 BRDrucks 178/06, Artikel 1, 23.Google Scholar

42 BRDrucks 178/06, Artikel 1, 20.Google Scholar

43 Chardon, Matthias, “Institutionalisiertes Mißtrauen”: Zur Reform der europapolitischen Beteiligung der Länder nach Art 23 GG im Rahmen der Bundesstaatskommission, in Die unvollendete Föderalismsu-Reform 79 (2005); Kesper, , supra note 24, at 156.Google Scholar

44 BRDrucks 178/06, Artikel 1, 2.Google Scholar

45 Kommission von Bundestag und Bundesrat zur Modernisierung der bundesstaatlichen Ordnung, Arbeitsunterlage 0104-neu, Vorentwurf vom 13. Dezember 2004, Vorschlag der Vorsitzenden, V. Hauptstadt.Google Scholar

46 BRDrucks 178/06, Artikel 1, 1.Google Scholar

47 Kesper, supra note 24, at 147.Google Scholar

48 Ingo Richter's claim that there is no federal regulation of education in other federal systems is, therefore, not true. See Richter, supra note 2, at 51–52.Google Scholar

49 BRDrucks 178/06, Artikel 1, 5 (b); BRDrucks 462/06, (a), (bb), (aaa). For a thorough discussion of federal-Land competences in environmental regulation, see Eppler, Annegret, Föderalismus-Reform in Deutschland: die geplannte Kompetenzverteilung in der Umweltpolitik, in Jahruch des Föderalismus 2006 200–219 (2006). See also Kesper, supra note 24, at 151.Google Scholar

50 Kesper, , supra note 24, at 151; Huber, supra note 22, at 49.Google Scholar

51 A Bundestag-Bundesrat working group began discussions on finance reform in December 2006. For some of the reasons why it will be difficult to achieve a compromise on this part two of federalism reform, see Renzsch, Wolfgang, Föderalismusreform II and Manfred Schäfers, Vor dem Finanzpoker, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, December 15, 2006, at 8 and 18.Google Scholar

52 See, e.g., Leonardy, Uwe, Territorial Reform of the Länder: A Demand of the Basic Law, in German Public Policy and Federalism 65 (Arthur B. Gunlicks ed., 2003); Huber, supra note 22, at 125–128.Google Scholar

53 For a number of articles that appeared too late to be incorporated in this paper, see Föderalismusreform, Aus Politik und Zeitgeschichte 50 (11 December 2006).Google Scholar

54 Kesper, supra note 24, at 158.Google Scholar

55 Huber, , supra note 22, at 51.Google Scholar