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The Principle of Democracy: Watered Down by the Federal Constitutional Court

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2019

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For historic reasons, the parliamentary legislator of North-Rhine-Westphalia assigned important public responsibilities concerning water supply and distribution in the areas of the rivers Lippe and Emscher to the public-law bodies Lippeverband and Emschergenossenschaft. By law the compulsory members of theses bodies are the Land (federal state) North-Rhine-Westphalia, the municipalities situated in the respective territories, as well as private companies involved with water distribution or usage as well as companies profiting from the bodies’ work or making it more difficult. In 1990 the organizational structure of the two bodies was reformed and participation rights of the respective work forces were introduced. They were granted the right to name representatives to the bodies’ supervisory boards (councils) and the boards of directors, but not for the most powerful organs, the assemblies of the bodies’ members.

Type
Public Law
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 by German Law Journal GbR 

References

1 Decision of 5th December 2002 (2 BvL 5/98 und 2 BvL 6/98) (see: www.bverfg.de). In the following text I refer to the decision by citing its paragraphs.Google Scholar

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7 BVerfGE 44, 125; 47, 253; 83, 37 and 60; 89, 155; 93, 37.Google Scholar

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18 BVerfGE 38, 281 (299).Google Scholar

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22 See the text at notes 33 et seq. of this article.Google Scholar

23 Para. 167 of the decision.Google Scholar

24 Expressly conceded in Para. 172 of the decision.Google Scholar

25 Para. 168 of the decision.Google Scholar

26 It has to be noted that the representatives of the working forces in the bodies organs are not directly elected by their fellows. A proposal of candidates has to be made by the regular workers representation body (existing in every branch of the public administration) consisting twice as many candidates as posts are to be staffed. Finally, the representatives of the working forces are elected by the assembly of members.Google Scholar

27 In Para. 184 of the decision the court says that this organisational modification of the self-administrating bodies is still within the framework of the constitution.Google Scholar

28 See Hendler at p. 302 et seq., supra note 14.Google Scholar

29 Similarly Emde, supra note 14.Google Scholar

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34 It has been brought forward that the individuals united as members of such a body may be an alternate source of democratic legitimation as being a “people” in the sense of Article 20.2(1) of the Basic Law; see for this Brohm at p. 243 et seq., supra note 30; Emde, at p. 383 et seq., supra note 14; Herzog at para. 58, supra note 15; Kleine-Cosack at p. 117 et seq., supra note 30; Oebbecke at p. 88 et seq., supra note 4. Comprehensively against that idea: Jestaedt at p. 216 et seq., supra note 14.Google Scholar

35 As the members of the bodies are not personally legitimated themselves they cannot transfer any personal legitimation to the representatives of the working forces even if they get elected by the members’ assembly and not by the working forces themselves.Google Scholar

36 See Boeckenfoerde at para. 25, supra note 8; Klaus Stern, Das Staatsrecht der Bundesrepublik Deutschland Vol. I, p. 402 (2nd ed., 1984); Jestaedt at p. 552, supra note 14.Google Scholar

37 BVerfGE 93, 37 (69).Google Scholar

38 BVerfGE 93, 37 (71 et seq.).Google Scholar

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41 ”The dignity of man is inviolable.“.Google Scholar

42 ”Everyone has the right to the free development of his personality insofar as he does not violate the rights of others or offend against the constitutional order or the moral code.“.Google Scholar

43 See only Ossenbuehl at p. 15 et seq., 26 et seq., supra note 6.Google Scholar