British German Forum A smarter Europe: cooperation, competition, and innovation in the 2020s Sunday 13 – Thursday 17 July 2014 | WP1320 In association with: Supported by: British Embassy, Berlin Foreign and Commonwealth Office Background note The British German Forum This background note provides some basic information on the British and German political systems. A table at the back of the document (section 3) summarises some relevant data. The overall note comprises:1 1. Germany Governing architecture Local government Legislature Federal electoral system Federal government Political parties at the federal level Bundestag parties Other significant parties 2. United Kingdom Governing architecture Devolution Local government – county and city councils Legislature National electoral system UK government Political parties in the UK parliament The government and the opposition Significant parties without seats in the House of Commons 3. Germany and the UK compared: key figures & education systems 4. ‘Smartness’ in the EU Acknowledgements and caveats Any opinions expressed in this document are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Wilton Park, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or the UK Government. Comments and suggestions can be sent to
[email protected]. Alexandra Craven, Wilton Park June 2014. 1 If reading this electronically: each heading in the contents page is hyperlinked to the appropriate part of the document. 2 Germany Governing architecture Germany’s democratic system is based on the 1949 constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), otherwise known as the Grundgesetz or Basic Law. Upon reunification of the two Germanys in 1990, the former East German states acceded to West Germany and adopted the Basic Law.