Eat Regional Eat Organic Eat Well

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Eat Regional Eat Organic Eat Well eat regional eat organic eat well Collaborating towards Berlin Food Policy Exploring civic-state collaboration in current urban food governance in Berlin – The Case of the Berlin Food Strategy Dinah Hoffmann 2 COLLABORATING TOWARDS BERLIN FOOD POLICY EXPLORING CIVIC-STATE COLLABORATION IN CURRENT URBAN FOOD GOVERNANCE IN BERLIN – THE CASE OF THE BERLIN FOOD STRATEGY Student: Dinah Hoffmann Registration Nr.: 930215349050 MaiL: [email protected] Program: MSc Communication, HeaLth and Life Sciences SpeciaLization: HeaLth and Society Wageningen University and Research Supervisor: Oona Morrow Examiner: Prof. dr. ing. J.S.C. Wiskerke Chair grouP: RuraL Sociology Course Code: RSO-80433 May 2019 Background image Source: ALex GaLPerin via UnsPLash (CC0 license) EatBerLin Logo: Bio Company and BerLin Logo via Wikipedia Font: BMF Change and BMF Change Letter © Prof. ALessio Leonardi 3 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis has been a journey on which numerous peopLe provided me with support. First, I want to express my sincere gratitude towards my supervisor Oona Morrow who chaLLenged my views, provided me with useful feedback and guidance through this at times overwheLming thesis process. Thank you for your consistent suPPort, your kindness and patience, your words of encouragement, understanding and aLways having a sympathetic ear for me. A great thanks to aLL the respondents of my interviews who gave me their time and shared with me their views on BerLin food governance, a topic that many engage in with their hearts and minds. My friends and famiLy have been incredibly suPPortive throughout this period as weLL, which I am very thankful for. Julie, thank you for being such a good person, for your radiating caLmness, and for caring about me when I forget to. You were the best thesis room and Lunch break Partner, thank you for the waLks and tiny horse cuddLes and most of aLL, thank you for always Listening to my sudden Loud fLashes of inspiration which simPLy cannot be heLd back. To my friends and famiLy in Wageningen and BerLin, thank you for buiLding such a strong sociaL safety net, for beLieving in me and encouraging me throughout this whoLe process. A speciaL thanks to the UNISG peopLe, thank you for the discussion rounds, the femaLe power dinners and waLks; it has been a pLeasure having you as a part of my life in this time. And finaLLy, a very speciaL thanks to my famiLy who aLways remind me to be ambitious and especiaLLy to my sister DaLiah for supporting me continuously and distracting me when needed. 5 ABSTRACT Urban food poLicy is an area that joins actors from civiL society, academia, the locaL state and the market. To accomPLish sustainable changes of locaL food systems these actors work together in governance arrangements. Two prominent instruments that are used in urban food governance where these actors colLaborate are the food poLicy counciL and the urban food strategy. Both can be initiated through top-down or bottom-up processes or a combination of both with the reLationship of LocaL government and civiL society having an imPact on the success of the initiatives. One of the cities where civiL society and locaL government engage in colLaborative food governance is the city-state of BerLin, the biggest city in Germany, surrounded by the agriculturaL region of Brandenburg. Drawing on data from 11 interviews and 40 documents, this thesis describes and examines the nature of the reLationship and governance arrangement of the two main actors in current BerLin food governance. The colLaborative governance framework, a categorization of civic-state reLationships found in urban food governance and the concepts of integrated food poLicy and institutionaLization were used to guide the anaLysis. The objective of this thesis is to understand how civic-state colLaboration in urban food governance Looks like in BerLin, what impact the locaL context has on the deveLopment of the governance arrangement and what strengths and chaLLenges involved stakehoLders perceive. The two main stakehoLders were found to be the civic food policy counciL Ernährungsrat Berlin and the Berlin Senate Administration for Consumer Protection. It was found that the Ernährungsrat Berlin’s food poLicy activity brought forward a reLationship where they are striving for indePendence but are linked to the government through a secondary agency, being the aforementioned administrative department. ALthough not embedded in municipaL institutions, which has been identified as cruciaL for a food policy councils’ success, the Ernährungsrat Berlin proved to be an agiLe and resiLient structure able to successfulLy be an indePendent advocate for civiL society and a vaLued advisor to the government. Their coLLaboration resulted in the deveLopment of a Berlin Food Strategy. In this thesis I investigate the process of deveLoping this strategy as a form of colLaborative governance. Regarding their governance arrangement around the Berlin Food Strategy, the involvement of the Green Party in the current coaLition was found to have had a big impact on the position the Ernährungsrat Berlin but aLso food policy was able to occupy on the urban agenda. This research identified a number of strengths and chaLLenges of the governance arrangement incLuding a strong interdependence, a strong and long history of civic action, the presence of politicaL food chamPions in the coaLition and the administration, the limiting structure and functioning of the Senate administrations and the Limited incLusiveness and representatives of the Ernährungsrat Berlin. Key words: urban food governance, urban food policy, food policy counciL, urban food strategy, colLaborative governance, BerLin food strategy, Ernährungsrat BerLin, Senate of BerLin 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................ 5 ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... 6 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................. 10 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 11 1.1 BACKGROUND: URBAN FOOD GOVERNANCE ................................................................................... 13 1.1.1 THE FOOD POLICY COUNCIL ............................................................................................................... 14 1.1.2 URBAN FOOD STRATEGIES ................................................................................................................. 14 1.1.3 FROM GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNANCE ............................................................................................... 15 1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT/PHENOMENA DESCRIPTION ........................................................................... 17 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................................................... 18 1.4 SOCIETAL & SCIENTIFIC RELEVANCE ............................................................................................... 18 1.5 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ......................................................................................................... 19 1.5.1 COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE ........................................................................................................... 19 1.5.2 TYPOLOGIES OF FOOD POLICY GOVERNANCE .......................................................................................... 21 1.5.3 INTEGRATION AND INSTITUTIONALIZATION: IMPORTANT FOOD POLICY ENABLERS AND OUTCOMES ................. 22 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................... 24 2.1 INTERPRETATIVE QUALITATIVE RESEARCH ........................................................................................ 24 2.1.1 INTERPRETATIVE CASE RESEARCH ......................................................................................................... 24 2.1.2 THE CASE ........................................................................................................................................ 25 2.2 RESEARCH POPULATION AND SELECTION OF RESPONDENTS .................................................................. 25 2.2.1 SAMPLING ....................................................................................................................................... 26 2.2.2 PARTICIPANT PROFILES ...................................................................................................................... 26 2.3 DATA COLLECTION..................................................................................................................... 27 2.3.1 INTERVIEWS ..................................................................................................................................... 27 2.3.2 DOCUMENTS ................................................................................................................................... 28 2.4 DATA ANALYSIS........................................................................................................................ 28 2.4.1 ANALYZING A GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENT ......................................................................................... 29 2.4.2 CODING .........................................................................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Annual Report 2017-2018
    US Governor Philip D. Murphy (New Jersey) Annette Riedel, Senior Editor, Deutschlandfunk Kultur Berlin Transatlantic Forum 2018: “Present at the New Creation? Tech. Power. Democracy.” October 16, 2018 3 4 PREFACE Dear Friends of Aspen Germany, In 2017, we also had three US mayors in quick succession as guests of Aspen Germany: Mayor Pete Buttigieg of 2017 and 2018 were years of world-wide political and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, economic changes. The international order, established and Mayor Rahm Emanuel from Chicago. All three events 70 years ago under US leadership after World War II, is attracted high-ranking transatlanticists from the Bundestag, now being challenged by the rise of populism, the rise of think tanks, and political foundations as well as business authoritarian regimes from Russia, China, Turkey, and representatives. The goal of these events was to facilitate a fundamental changes in US policy under President Donald transatlantic discussion about the future course of the Trump. United States after Trump’s election. In the last two years, we have seen an erosion in the core of Throughout both years, we have also continued our our transatlantic alliance. From NATO and our common transatlantic exchange programs. The Bundestag and security interests to our trade relations, from our approach &RQJUHVV6WD൵HUV([FKDQJH3URJUDPEURXJKWVWD൵HUVIURP to climate change to arms control – everything we have WKH86&RQJUHVVWR%HUOLQDQGVWD൵HUVIURPWKH*HUPDQ taken for granted as a stable framework of transatlantic Bundestag to Washington, D.C.. Over the years, we have relations is now being questioned. These dramatic changes built a robust network of young American and German did not go unnoticed by us.
    [Show full text]
  • Jaarverslag 2017
    JAARVERSLAG 2017 Nederlandse Vereniging voor Veganisme Voorwoord Goedendag, Ook in 2017 hebben we weer honderden nieuwe leden mogen verwelkomen. En dat vind ik goed nieuws. Niet omdat de vereniging gegroeid is, maar omdat we met de steun van deze leden meer kunnen doen voor de promotie van het veganisme. In 2017 zijn er meerdere wisselingen geweest in het personeelsbestand. Zo is René Beemer, onze medewerker werving en administratie na rijp beraad tot de conclusie gekomen dat het tijd was voor een andere vorm van betaald werk. Ook hebben we het komen en gaan meegemaakt van Marieke de Beus, coördinator vrijwilligers & events en medewerker fondsen- en ledenwerving. Deze vacatures zijn gelukkig vrij snel weer ingevuld, maar dit brengt natuurlijk wel weer de nodige tijdsinvestering met zich mee. Hetzelfde geldt voor de aanstaande wisselingen binnen het bestuur. Ook in de teams waren een aantal wisselingen tussen nieuwe, coördinerende en uitvoerende vrijwilligers die zich graag inzetten voor de promotie van het veganisme. Die inzet is terug te zien in de groeiende interesse in het veganisme en onze vereniging. Het is aannemelijk dat de toename van ons ledenaantal verbonden is aan de toenemende interesse in veganisme binnen de samenleving. En doordat we blijven groeien, kunnen we ons als leden van de vereniging steeds meer inzetten om actief bij te dragen aan die groei. Wij deden dat in 2017 door middel van projecten als de VeganChallenge, door de informatie die we verstrekken via sociale media, mail, telefoon en op de door ons bijgehouden Vegan Wiki, Instagram, Melk, je kan zonder! en door de diverse partners waarmee we samenwerken.
    [Show full text]
  • German Jewish Refugee Travel to Germany and West German Municipal Visitor Programs S
    Chapter 7 GERMAN JEWISH REFUGEE TRAVEL TO GERMANY AND WEST GERMAN MUNICIPAL VISITOR PROGRAMS S How about a nice long drive through the countryside? We deliver the country. And the car. And a good amount of free kilometers. With Pan Am’s three-week “Freewheeler Holiday Tour” to Germany—for only $338. And that’s not all you get for this low price. You’ll get the round-trip jet flight from New York to Frankfurt, 20 overnight stays in a lovely guesthouse in Paderborn, and a car with 1000 kilometers free of charge. Think about how wonderful it will be to once again experience the beauty of Germany.1 This Pan Am advertisement, printed in German and accompanied by a photo depicting a Volkswagen Beetle in front of a castle on a hillside, is taken from a May 1969 edition of Aufbau. There, it appeared in the company of German- language ads from Lufthansa offering “low-priced non-stop flights to Germany,” and from Swiss Air promising “Our Service to Germany is twice as good. To and fro. Our non-stop flights from New York to Frankfurt are as comfortable as you can only wish for.”2 While perhaps they were not originally written solely for the still German-speaking audience of the mostly Jewish Aufbau readers, the regular presence of such advertisements in the main newspaper of the community sug- gests that these companies saw a potential customer base of travelers to Germany to be found among former German Jewish refugees in the late 1960s, and that Aufbau editors largely agreed, or at least considered the idea to be acceptable to their readership.
    [Show full text]
  • Urban Renewal After the Berlin Wall∗
    Hamburg Contemporary Economic Discussions University of Hamburg School of Business, Economics and Social Sciences Chair for Economic Policy Von-Melle-Park 5 D-20146 Hamburg | Germany Tel +49 40 42838 - 4622 Fax +49 40 42838 - 6251 http://www.uni-hamburg.de/economicpolicy/maennig.htm Editor: Wolfgang Maennig Gabriel M. Ahlfeldt London School of Economics (LSE) Department of Geography and Environment & Spatial Economics Research Centre (SERC) Houghton Street London WC2A 2AE | UK Tel +44 (0)20 78523785 Fax +44 (0)20 7955 7412 [email protected] Wolfgang Maennig University of Hamburg School of Business, Economics and Social Sciences Chair for Economic Policy Von-Melle-Park 5 20146 Hamburg | Germany Tel +49 40 42838 - 4622 Fax +49 40 42838 – 6251 [email protected] Felix J. Richter University of Hamburg School of Business, Economics and Social Sciences Chair for Economic Policy Von-Melle-Park 5 20146 Hamburg | Germany Tel +49 40 42838 - 4628 Fax +49 40 42838 - 6251 [email protected] ISSN 1865 - 2441 (Print) ISSN 1865 - 7133 (Online) ISBN 978-3-942820-12-7 (Print) ISBN 978-3-942820-13-4 (Online) Gabriel M. Ahlfeldt, Wolfgang Maennig & Felix J. Richter Urban renewal after the Berlin Wall∗ Abstract: Urban renewal areas are popular but empirically understudied spatial planning instruments designed to prevent urban decline and induce renewal. We use a quasi-experimental research design to study the effects of 22 renewal areas implemented in Berlin, Germany, to increase housing and living quality in the aftermath of the city’s division during the Cold War period.
    [Show full text]
  • Berlin - Wikipedia
    Berlin - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin Coordinates: 52°30′26″N 13°8′45″E Berlin From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Berlin (/bɜːrˈlɪn, ˌbɜːr-/, German: [bɛɐ̯ˈliːn]) is the capital and the largest city of Germany as well as one of its 16 Berlin constituent states, Berlin-Brandenburg. With a State of Germany population of approximately 3.7 million,[4] Berlin is the most populous city proper in the European Union and the sixth most populous urban area in the European Union.[5] Located in northeastern Germany on the banks of the rivers Spree and Havel, it is the centre of the Berlin- Brandenburg Metropolitan Region, which has roughly 6 million residents from more than 180 nations[6][7][8][9], making it the sixth most populous urban area in the European Union.[5] Due to its location in the European Plain, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. Around one- third of the city's area is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers, canals and lakes.[10] First documented in the 13th century and situated at the crossing of two important historic trade routes,[11] Berlin became the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1417–1701), the Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918), the German Empire (1871–1918), the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) and the Third Reich (1933–1945).[12] Berlin in the 1920s was the third largest municipality in the world.[13] After World War II and its subsequent occupation by the victorious countries, the city was divided; East Berlin was declared capital of East Germany, while West Berlin became a de facto West German exclave, surrounded by the Berlin Wall [14] (1961–1989) and East German territory.
    [Show full text]
  • Jan Terlouw: Word Lid Van De Aarde!
    Natuur / Cultuur / Voeding / Gezondheid / Transitie / Mode / Vrije tijd Lifestle LEEF!katern rant van de Aarde Feestdagen 2020 HOUVAST Laurens KnoopONDERWIJS nieuwe voorzitter vereniging Vrijescholen VOEDSELVERSPILLING Een weelderig kerstdiner met een lege vuilnisbak Het verhaal vanGEZONDHEID elf kinderen, opgenomen in het Ziekenhuis GEZOND BIJLAGE NATUUR 8 De familie zeeschildpad heeft het zwaar NATUUR TRANSITIE ONDERNEMEN ONDERWIJS Sea First Foundation Bert van Ruitenbeek: Bankieren voor een Lourens Knoop Oceaan en keer terug op Aarde betekenisvolle voorzitter Vereniging 9 gezondheid 15 18 economie L30 Vrijescholen Jan Terlouw: Word lid van de Aarde! Omroep Groen geeft de Aarde aandacht, steun daarom de eerste publieke omroep die de Aarde zendtijd geeft! Voor 1 januari heeft Omroep Groen, als aspirant omroep, 50.000 leden nodig. Sluit u aan, het is belangrijk. ‘Ja’, zegt Jan Terlouw, ‘dat is het probleem dat we hebben. Het wèl in actie komen en daarom zeker, want als mensen zouden raakt vele facetten in ons leven: steun ik Omroep Groen, een begrijpen wat het betekent voor de natuur, biodiversiteit, migratie, omroep die informeert, agendeert de toekomst van onze kinderen voedselvoorziening, onderwijs, en oplossingen laat zien.’ als we niets doen aan het economie, sociale zekerheid, klimaatprobleem, dan zouden ze kunst en cultuur, alles wat je kunt Voor slechts € 7,50 ben je al lid! zich suf schrikken. bedenken.’ Ga naar: www.omroepgroen.nl Het is op zich niet zo vreemd Maar er is ook goed nieuws. Jan Lees ons uitgebreide interview met Jan dat het niet helemaal doordringt Terlouw: ‘Hoe urgent ook, het Terlouw in het hoofdkatern van deze INTERVIEW hoe urgent dit is.
    [Show full text]
  • 30 Questions
    Berliner Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Migration and Participation in Berlin 30 QUESTIONS 1 Where do Berliners come from? 2 In which elections may people with migration background vote? 3 How can I actively politically participate wi- thout German nationality? 4 What is the administrative structure in Berlin? 5 What is the Abgeordnetenhaus, the Berlin House of Representatives? 6 Which parties are represented in the Berlin House of Representatives? 7 What are the spokespersons for integration of the parliamentary parties doing? 8 How can I contact the Berlin House of Repre- sentatives? 9 What are citizen center office hours? 10 What is the Senate of Berlin? 11 Which senate administration is responsible for integration? 12 Functions of Commissioner for Integration? 13 Which role does the Regional Advisory Com- mittee have? 14 Which law governs participation and integra- tion in Berlin? 15 What does integration mean? 16 What is participation? 17 Why is participation important? 18 How are the districts organized? 19 What is the Council of Representatives? 20 How do districts organize integration policy? 21 What are citizen deputies? 22 What are the functions of advisory boards for integration? 23 How to become member of a district advisory board for integration? 24 Is it possible to actively participate in political parties without German citizenship? 25 What are the functions of party-affiliated poli- tical foundations? 26 Which role do societies and associations play in Germany? 27 What do refugee councils do? 28 Where can I find information about how to participate? 29 How to get German citizenship? 30 How can I deal with discrimination? 1 Where do Berliners come from? Berlin has approx.
    [Show full text]
  • Gukaah Brenda Nwana Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology
    GERMAN-BASED AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS’ TRANSNATIONAL SPHERE: STRATEGIES OF INCORPORATION AND THE CREATION OF IDENTITY IN AN EXPANDED EUROPEAN UNION by Gukaah Brenda Nwana a Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology Approved Dissertation Committee Prof. Dr. Klaus Boehnke Prof. Dr. Margrit Schreier Prof. Dr. Christian Joppke Prof. Dr. Rainer Tetzlaff Prof. Anna Triandafyllidou Date of Defense: 5th February, 2015. i Approved Dissertation Committee Prof. Dr. Klaus Boehnke PhD Advisor and First Internal Reviewer Professor for Social Science Methodology Jacobs University Bremen Email: [email protected] __________________________________ Prof. Dr. Margrit Schreier Second Internal Reviewer Professor of Empirical Methods in Humanities and Social Sciences Jacobs University Bremen Email: [email protected] Prof. Dr. Christian Joppke Second Supervisor/ First External Reviewer Professor of Sociology University of Bern Email: [email protected] Prof. Dr. Rainer Tetzlaff Third Internal Reviewer Professor of International Politics and History Jacobs University Bremen Email: [email protected] Prof. Anna Triandafyllidou Second External Reviewer Director of the Cultural Pluralism Research Area. Global Governance Programme, European University Institute Email: [email protected] ii Statutory Declaration I, Gukaah Brenda Nwana, hereby declare that I have written this PhD dissertation independently, unless where clearly stated otherwise. I have
    [Show full text]
  • Afstudeerwerkstuk Waarom Stoppen Deelnemers Aan De Veggiechallenge?
    Afstudeerwerkstuk Waarom stoppen deelnemers aan de VeggieChallenge? Zoe Rikken Aeres Hogeschool 1-6-2018 AFSTUDEERWERKSTUK: WAAROM STOPPEN DEELNEMERS AAN DE VEGGIECHALLENGE? Student Zoé Rikken Studentnummer 3021047 Opleiding Biologie Voeding & Gezondheid Hogeschool Aeres Hogeschool Afstudeerdocent Yolanda Maas Stagebegeleider Veerle Vrindts Stageplaats ProVeg Nederland Stageperiode 5-2-2018 tot 22-6-2018 DISCLAIMER Dit rapport is gemaakt door een student van Aeres Hogeschool als onderdeel van zijn/haar opleiding. Het is géén officiële publicatie van Aeres Hogeschool. Dit rapport geeft niet de visie of mening van Aeres Hogeschool weer. Aeres Hogeschool aanvaardt geen enkele aansprakelijkheid voor enige schade voortvloeiend uit het gebruik van de inhoud van dit rapport. VOORWOORD Voor u ligt de scriptie ‘Waarom stoppen deelnemers aan de VeggieChallenge met de uitdaging’. Deze scriptie is geschreven in het kader van mijn afstuderen aan de opleiding Biologie, Voeding & Gezondheid aan de Aeres Hogeschool te Almere. Deze scriptie is bedoeld voor mijn stagebedrijf ProVeg, echter kan de scriptie-inhoud ook voor andere bedrijven of organisaties die van online uitdagingen gebruik (willen) maken interessant zijn. Graag wil ik mijn begeleider Yolanda Maas bedanken voor de goede begeleiding en ondersteuning tijdens het schrijven van mijn scriptie. Ook wil ik alle deelnemers aan de VeggieChallenge, die de enquête hebben ingevuld bedanken voor hun medewerking aan mijn onderzoek. Deze enquêtes leveren namelijk de gegevens voor het onderzoek dat ik heb gedaan. Tenslotte wil ik mijn collega’s bij ProVeg bedanken voor de fijne samenwerking. Ik heb vaak met hen kunnen sparren over de aanpak en uitvoering van mijn onderzoek. Dit leverde naast goede feedback ook nieuwe inzichten op.
    [Show full text]
  • The 1963 Berlin Philharmonie – a Breakthrough Architectural Vision
    PRZEGLĄD ZACHODNI I, 2017 BEATA KORNATOWSKA Poznań THE 1963 BERLIN PHILHARMONIE – A BREAKTHROUGH ARCHITECTURAL VISION „I’m convinced that we need (…) an approach that would lead to an interpretation of the far-reaching changes that are happening right in front of us by the means of expression available to modern architecture.1 Walter Gropius The Berlin Philharmonie building opened in October of 1963 and designed by Hans Scharoun has become one of the symbols of both the city and European musical life. Its character and story are inextricably linked with the history of post-war Berlin. Construction was begun thanks to the determination and un- stinting efforts of a citizens initiative – the Friends of the Berliner Philharmo- nie (Gesellschaft der Freunde der Berliner Philharmonie). The competition for a new home for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (Berliner Philharmonisches Orchester) was won by Hans Scharoun whose design was brave and innovative, tailored to a young republic and democratic society. The path to turn the design into reality, however, was anything but easy. Several years were taken up with political maneuvering, debate on issues such as the optimal location, financing and the suitability of the design which brought into question the traditions of concert halls including the old Philharmonie which was destroyed during bomb- ing raids in January 1944. A little over a year after the beginning of construction the Berlin Wall appeared next to it. Thus, instead of being in the heart of the city, as had been planned, with easy access for residents of the Eastern sector, the Philharmonie found itself on the outskirts of West Berlin in the close vicinity of a symbol of the division of the city and the world.
    [Show full text]
  • The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
    The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities 22nd SESSION CG(22)7 14 March 2012 Local and regional democracy in Germany Monitoring Committee Rapporteur:1 Britt-Marie LÖVGREN, Sweden (L, ILDG2) Draft recommendation (for vote) .............................................................................................................. 2 Explanatory memorandum ....................................................................................................................... 5 Summary This report is the first general monitoring of the European Charter of Local Self-Government on Germany (a visit carried out in 1999 focused solely on local finances, evaluated at the time as being in a critical situation). The report sets out in detail the complex structure of the regional and local authorities in the country. The Rapporteurs praise the federal and regional (Länder) constitutions for their recognition of the principle of local self-government. They draw the attention of the German authorities, however, to the persistent financial deficits of local and regional authorities, and underline the need to establish practical guarantees that complement constitutional provisions. It is recommended to the German authorities that they strengthen and institutionalise the participatory rights of associations of local authorities both at federal and regional (Land) level. They are encouraged to set standards and criteria for concomitant financing in order to provide transparency in the whole financial calculation and planning process. The Government is also invited to consider extending counties’ rights to impose taxes directly beyond the available ones. Finally, Germany is called on to ratify the Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority. 1 The Co-rapporteur Mr Ignacio Sanchez Amor is no longer a member of the Congress since December 2011.
    [Show full text]
  • Germany on the Brink of Federal Reform
    “Grand Coalition” makes change possible Germany on the brink of federal reform BY HARTMUT KÜHNE Update: On March 10, the Premiers of most of the 16 each other’s actions and German Länder were ready to reform their country’s federal the entire political process system. Speaking in the Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house, moves agonizingly slowly. Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit of the Social Democratic The most obvious example Party spoke in favour of the reform, warning against is the blockades that both “refighting old battles.” The Premiers of all the Länder ruled houses of the federal by the two coalition partners — Christian Democrats and legislature, the Bundestag Social Democrats — were in favour of the reform. While the and the Bundesrat, have reform is deemed likely to meet the necessary two-thirds erected against each other. German Chancellor Angela Merkel majority of the Bundesrat, the chances are lower of it There are other problems, passing the Bundestag. If all members of the governing and Vice-Chancellor Franz such as the slow-moving Muentefering. coalition in the Bundestag voted in favour, it would pass. On coordination between the a free vote, the chances are considered much smaller. The federal government and reform proposal would give the Länder greater powers in the Länder. Former Education Minister Edelgard Bulmahn exchange for their giving up their right to block federal complained about the chaos created by putting conditions legislation. on everything: “The 16 Länder ministers, the federal “It’s best not to watch how laws and sausages are made,” education minister and the Science Council should not be said Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.
    [Show full text]