European coordination (Germany)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Under European coordination or European political coordination , one understands in Germany the positioning of the federal government , but also of the German states in relation to the politics of the European Union , especially in the Chamber of Member States, the Council of the EU . This primarily includes coordination between the individual federal ministries (departments). In a broader sense, it is also about the integration of European politics in a domestic political context.

Development of European policy coordination

The development since the 1950s

The European coordination and its structures were shaped in the 1950s by the dispute between Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and his Minister of Economics, Ludwig Erhard . Adenauer welcomed the plan to create a European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and saw it as a means of warding off the Soviet threat. Since the Federal Republic was in a difficult economic situation after the Second World War, this was also a means to stimulate growth again. For Adenauer this was also a vital foreign policy interest. In contrast to Adenauer, Erhard did not primarily pursue the goal of European integration, but the development of a social market economy. Initially, the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Economics played a prominent role in European coordination. The Foreign Office pursued European integration and the Ministry of Economic Affairs pursued the development of the social market economy. However, since the ECSC and the European Economic Community were essentially economic projects, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has always played an important role in day-to-day operations.

European coordination after 1990

After reunification , new perspectives opened up for German European policy, which were intended to alleviate the skepticism of other European countries. At the beginning of the 1990s, Germany showed great potential to become the engine of European integration thanks to its newly acquired sovereignty, its central geographic location, its economic power and its population size. However, this opportunity went hand in hand with the question of what course Germany would take with regard to European policy. With the Single European Act (EEA) (1987) and at the latest with the Maastricht Treaty (1993), the coordination of European policy became more and more urgent. Outwardly, in the first few years after reunification, efforts were made to use rhetoric that was as coherent as possible. Helmut Kohl, for example, spoke more and more of the “United States of Europe” ( Jan Grünhage : Decision-making processes in Germany's European policy: page 38) and Genscher stated that Germany wanted to continue to be actively involved in promoting European integration. The importance for the Federal Government of Kohl / Genscher to convey a pro-European image to the outside world was shown in particular by the fact that Kohl succeeded in joining the monetary union despite major concerns among the public, the party, the Bundesbank and the Federal Ministry of Finance. Efforts were made to convey a coherent image to its European neighbors so that they could see a reliable partner in Germany. The external image should not, however, be viewed separately from an internal specification of the German position. While the idea of ​​a “United Europe” seemed to be stuck to until 1991, the rhetoric changed accordingly. Kohl banned the concept of defining the essence of Europe, which was fraught with constitutional problems, and spoke, for example, of the "House of Europe" ( Jan Grünhage : Decision-making processes in Germany's European policy: page 40) that needed to be expanded. This was by no means a paradigm shift in Kohl's policy. Rather, his changed vocabulary adapted to the fears of the population, who feared having to suffer a loss of identity as a result of the level of integration achieved. In the government declaration of November 11, 1993, one month after the judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court on the Maastricht Treaty, Kohl emphasized the importance of the principle of subsidiarity as a guiding principle for German European policy. According to the principle of unity in diversity, the member states should be able to fall back on the European level if they actually need supranational regulation.

Furthermore, the preceding European integration required that the structures of inter-ministerial cooperation meet the requirement of a Europe-based approach to problems. The Maastricht Treaty elevated the European Union from a primarily economically founded association to a political union. The central role of the Ministry of Economic Affairs in the 1980s (it organized the instructions to the permanent representation in Brussels) was to be softened by the establishment of European departments of other ministries in the 1990s. Last but not least, this meant that the policy field “Europe” was able to differentiate itself for Germany. The European departments looked for independent contact to Brussels and tried to establish their European competence in this way.

On the whole, Germany remained Europe-friendly even after reunification, opened up new room for maneuver through successful embedding in the new European political structure and experienced sectoral differentiation in the sense of a more effective representation of interests.

Basics

If the European Commission makes a legislative proposal, it is usually discussed and adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in the ordinary legislative procedure . In order for Germany to be able to speak with one voice in the Council, all the ministries concerned must form an opinion on the proposal as early as possible. There are various bodies that help to find a common position. The Federal Government then tries to formulate a negotiating position in order to be able to negotiate in the Council.

State Secretaries Committee for European Affairs

After the Federal Cabinet, the State Secretaries' Committee for European Affairs is the highest coordinating body. It was set up by the Federal Cabinet on February 6, 1963. If the ministries fail to reach an agreement on a commission proposal in advance, the State Secretaries Committee discusses all proposals and then makes a decision. The chairman of the committee is the State Minister for Europe in the Foreign Office (since January 24, 2012 Michael Georg Link ). He also takes part in the weekly meetings of the Federal Cabinet . Deputy Chairman is the State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Economics responsible for European policy (currently Stefan Kapferer ). The permanent representative of the Federal Government to the EU (currently Peter Tempel ) is also a member of the State Secretaries' Committee.

Round of Europe Heads of Department

This body meets roughly every four weeks. The Federal Foreign Office and the Ministry of Economics have the chair here. The Deputy Permanent Representative of the Federal Government to the EU also takes part in the meetings. This is where the differences of opinion between the ministries are determined. The resolvable conflicts between the ministries are formulated at the department head level in order to prepare the State Secretaries' Committee. The aim is also to follow up on the decisions of the State Secretaries' Committee on European Affairs. The meetings also serve to clarify the German positions and to identify the differences of opinion with other EU member states.

European Commissioner of the Ministries

The ministries' European commissioners meet without regular meetings; The Head of Unit of the Europe Coordination Group (FCR) is chaired . The European Commissioners are generally the heads of unit who are responsible for European coordination in the ministries. The purpose of their meetings is to clarify individual questions and to answer technical questions.

European policy "early warning" - the EU coordination group

The Europe coordination group in the European Department of the Federal Foreign Office tries to analyze the opinion-forming process in the EU institutions as well as the positions of other EU member states that concern general German or special ministerial interests. She is in contact with the Permanent Representation and coordinates the instructions to the Permanent Representatives Committee. The aim of the EU coordination group is to put the federal government in a position to take a position on the projects and initiatives of the European Commission at an early stage and to prepare the federal government for future adjustments to the national legal situation. Thomas Schieb is the head of the coordination group.

EU representative of the German embassies

The EU representatives of the German embassies within the European Union report on the positions of the member states on European issues. This work is coordinated by the European Department of the Federal Foreign Office, whose EU Coordination Group (ECR) collects or provides information.

European coordination in the federal government

General

The federal ministries play a very important role in European coordination. While the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture were the decisive actors in European policy until the 1960s and made decisions together in the State Secretaries' Committee, today all other ministries are also active in European politics. They are represented in the Council and they can intervene in the decision-making process regarding European policy through various bodies. However, they do not have the same influence on German European policy.

European policy coordination of the federal government
European policy coordination of the federal government

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Foreign Office was initially overshadowed by Konrad Adenauer. Since the General Council of Foreign Ministers was formed in 1974, the Foreign Office has gained more and more influence in German European policy. With the Maastricht Treaty , the previous European Political Cooperation (EPZ) was replaced by the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). Due to the partial shift of foreign policy to the European level, the importance of the EU within the ministry also increased. The Foreign Office has had a European department since 1993. This is u. a. responsible for treaty reforms and enlargement policy. It is also responsible for bilateral relations with other states as well as the common foreign and security policy (CFSP) and the European security and defense policy (ESDP). The Federal Foreign Office has a coordinating function in the federal government. It is responsible for preparing the meetings of the European Council as well as preparing the General Affairs Council and the External Relations Council. Together with the Federal Ministry of Economics, the Foreign Office coordinates the weekly meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives. The role of the Foreign Office in preparing the Lisbon Treaty was also important. In order to coordinate this preliminary work, a "Lisbon Treaty Task Force" was created in 2009. The Federal Foreign Office has 10 different departments and, since 2001, an EU coordination group (EKR). The FCR plays a key role in European coordination. Its head takes over the chairmanship of the European Commissioners of the Federal Ministries and prepares - alternating with the European Coordination Unit of the Federal Ministry of Economics - the meetings of the heads of departments in the ministries responsible for Europe (European heads of departments). Finally, the FCR transmits instructions for the Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) - Part II - in Brussels (the instructions for Coreper Part I are sent by the Federal Ministry of Economics) and informs the Foreign Office about European policy issues.

Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology

The Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology has long been a key ministry for German European policy. Until 1998, the Ministry of Economic Affairs was responsible for coordinating the instructions for Coreper meetings, for the federal government's instruction meetings and for the European Commissioners' Committee. It has taken on this task again since 2006 - shared with the Federal Foreign Office. It informs the Federal Government about the events in Brussels and represents the Federal Government before the European Court of Justice. Until 1998, the BMWi also acted as the secretariat of the State Secretaries' Committee for European Affairs (now AA). Very early on there was no clear separation between domestic and European issues in the Federal Ministry of Economics. Since 2006 the Ministry of Economic Affairs has again been responsible for EU policy issues (coordination), European law (pre-litigation coordination of all infringement proceedings against Germany, representation before the European Court of Justice), EU state aid control policy, internal market issues, EU structural policy and a few other areas. The European policy department consists of twelve units. The coordination department, together with the Federal Foreign Office, chairs the weekly instruction meetings of the federal government. Its head of department is also the BMWi's European Commissioner.

Federal Ministry of Finance

The Federal Ministry of Finance is primarily responsible for European currency, tax and budget policy. With the increasing importance of economic and currency policy, the influence of the BMF has also increased since the 1980s. In 1998 it took over responsibility for the Council of Economics and Finance Ministers ( ECOFIN ) and for the EU currency committee of the Federal Ministry of Economics. From 1998 to 2005 the Federal Ministry of Finance was the second EU coordinating ministry of the Federal Government. The European department of the Federal Ministry of Economics had previously been transferred to the BMF. It was only with the end of the red-green government that the European department was returned to the Ministry of Economics. Between 1998 and 2005 the BMF forwarded the official information and documents from the General Secretariat of the Council to the various ministries (now again BMWi) via the Permanent Representation of Germany in Brussels . The BMF participates in various committees, such as the group of heads of European departments and the instruction meetings of the federal government. Within the BMF, the main responsibility for European policy lies in Department E of the same name. The most important body for European coordination within the BMF is the department for “Fundamental questions of European policy, institutions and procedures”.

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture

Since agricultural policy has always been of great importance at the European level, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has played an important role since the 1960s. The influence of the ministry increased the more policy areas were shifted to the European level. The ministry's European policy is coordinated by the “EU Policy, Fisheries” sub-department, which has seven units. The European Policy Policy Unit is responsible for coordinating European policy. The head of this unit is the Ministry's European Commissioner. Because of the great importance of European consumer policy, the ministry is very Europeanized and there is hardly any boundary between domestic and European policy. Nevertheless, the BMEL plays only a minor role in the representation of Germany in Brussels, and since the importance of the common agricultural policy is declining, one can also observe a decline in the importance of this ministry.

In Germany, however, the ministry recently underwent a restructuring. With the new coalition, consumer protection was moved to the Ministry of Justice. The consequences of this at Brussels level are still open. By Heiko Maas (SPD) , the topics could domestically a juridical approach tischeren be subject to consumer protection. Consumer protection is seen in close connection with data protection and internet rights and requires a design, especially on a digital level. The Ministry of Justice's right of initiative makes it possible to come to a draft law more quickly. This was previously not possible in the Ministry of Agriculture. In this respect, it can be concluded that consumer protection is gaining in legal relevance through the new departmental structure and could also broaden the mouthpiece at EU level.

Federal Ministry of the Interior

Until the 1980s, the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) was not directly affected by European policy. However, since the Maastricht Treaty there has been European cooperation in justice and home affairs. Today, European issues in the area of ​​police, border protection issues, residence and asylum issues as well as visa issues are dealt with by Department E “EU and international affairs” in the BMI. This department has five units that deal with European issues. Legislation in these areas is carried out by the Justice and Home Affairs Council with the participation of the European Parliament. In the area of ​​home affairs, the interior ministers and the responsible representative of the European Commission meet in the Council approximately every two months.

Other federal ministries

In addition to the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Economics and the Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture, the other federal ministries are also involved in European policy. However, their European coordination does not go back that far and is of less importance than in the other ministries. With the establishment of the European Union in 1992, new policy areas were transferred to the European level, and the other federal ministries also set up European departments. Today all ministries have at least one EU unit and one European commissioner.

European coordination in the countries

General

→ see also Conference of European Ministers

The states play a very important role in German politics, which is characterized by federalism, a political multilevel system. Just as in domestic politics, the federal states have won the right at EU level to make their voice heard and to represent their own interests. The federal states gradually set up their own European structures such as European departments, ministries and units as well as representations in Brussels. With the Treaty of Lisbon, the national parliaments and the regions were strengthened. The national parliaments - in Germany the Bundestag and Bundesrat - monitor compliance with the principle of subsidiarity and can raise subsidiarity complaints and actions . In addition, respect for regional and local self-government is laid down in Article 4 (2) TEU. In the Stuttgart Declaration of June 22, 2010, the federal states recognize their new responsibility, but also demand more say for the state parliaments.

European coordination of the Bundestag

The German Bundestag has been coordinating Europe since the 1980s. In May 1987 a subcommittee on European Community Affairs was set up within the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The Maastricht Treaty set up the European Committee , which has since been responsible as a cross-sectional committee for coordinating the Bundestag's European policy.

Since 1992, the Basic Law has given the Bundestag a right to participate in matters of the European Union in Article 23 of the Basic Law. The Federal Government must inform the Bundestag and Bundesrat comprehensively and at the earliest possible time in European matters. The Federal Government must also give the Bundestag the opportunity to comment before it takes part in legislative acts of the European Union. Since 2007 the Bundestag has strengthened its European coordination by setting up a European unit and a liaison office in Brussels.

The Lisbon Treaty extended the rights of national parliaments in the EU. You wear u. a. ensure compliance with the principle of subsidiarity - for example by raising subsidiarity complaints and suing for subsidiarity and participate in interparliamentary cooperation, for example in the Conference of European Committees ( COSAC ), but also with the European Parliament . In addition, they receive extensive information rights in the area of ​​European legislation, control rights in judicial and home affairs policy and are involved in the procedures for amending the Treaties.

In the aftermath of the Lisbon judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court , the German Bundestag revised the legislation accompanying the Lisbon Treaty. The new Integration Responsibility Act takes up the proposals formulated by the Federal Constitutional Court for structuring the rights of participation of the Bundestag and Bundesrat. According to this, the Federal Government must inform the Bundestag about reports, proposals and guidelines from the EU Commission and generally forward all documents at EU level. In addition, the 2006 interinstitutional agreement between the Bundestag and the federal government on cooperation in EU affairs was put into law. The "Law amending the Act on Cooperation between the Federal Government and the German Bundestag in Matters of the European Union" specifies the documents to be submitted by the Federal Government as well as the principles of information by the Federal Government and regulates the conditions under which the Bundestag can issue an opinion . In any case, the Federal Government must give the Bundestag the opportunity to comment before it takes part in European legislative projects. If the Bundestag delivers an opinion, the Federal Government bases its negotiations on this. If the Bundestag issues an opinion, the Federal Government must enter a parliamentary reservation in the Council if the Bundestag resolution cannot be enforced in the negotiations. The Federal Government can only make different decisions for important foreign or integration policy reasons.

European coordination of the parties

In the multi-level system, the parties are also increasingly affected by European political interdependence. Guidelines for the parties' European policy are the basic and the respective election programs . You are also responsible for selecting candidates for the European Parliament.

European coordination of interest groups

European interest representation

German interest groups are present to a large extent in European politics , be it by exerting influence in federal politics or directly in the bodies of the European Union. Due to the large presence of German lobbyists in Brussels, the interest groups are assigned a high degree of influence. The Federal Government offers a certain degree of coordination with German stakeholders through the Permanent Representation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the European Union . and via the European Movement Germany network , coordinated by the Federal Foreign Office. In the Lisbon Treaty , Article 11 TEU assures interest groups the opportunity to participate in the EU legislative process. In particular, the EU institutions are obliged to maintain an open, transparent and regular dialogue with the representative associations and civil society ( Art. 11 (2) TEU). The European Commission is requested to conduct extensive hearings with those affected ( Art. 11 (3) TEU). The work of the interest groups is a means of promoting direct democracy and strengthening the dialogue with civil society.

debate

The importance of the Federal Government's European coordination is increasingly underlined by measures taken by the Federal Foreign Office and the European Movement Germany network. With the "Eu-De-Briefings" dialogue event, the Federal Government is increasingly trying to inform the institutions and interest groups in federal politics about German European politics .

Efficiency and legitimacy of EU coordination

The efficiency of the German European coordination is influenced by the large number of actors and decision-makers at federal and state level. This makes it difficult to find a uniform German position in the Council. The individual departments at federal level also pursue their own European policy, which can lead to conflicts in European coordination. One way out could be the creation of a European Ministry. However, the creation of new coordination bodies such as the ECR has also improved coordination. At the same time, the legitimacy of European coordination, particularly with regard to the involvement of the Bundestag, is being discussed controversially.

Reform proposals for EU coordination

In 2012, the capital city group of the Europa-Union Deutschland published 7 recommendations for improving European coordination in a multi-page paper. In August 2017, the President of the European Movement Germany, Rainer Wend, criticized the European coordination as out of date: "The Federal Government has 23 civil servants available in the Federal Chancellery . Far too few who can therefore only accompany German policy-making in Brussels" on a loophole basis. "

See also

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Current conference dates, see: Calendar for the Danish EU Council Presidency published. Retrieved January 3, 2012 .
  2. Michael W. Bauer, Christoph Knill, Maria Ziegler: How can the coordination of German European policy be improved? (pdf; 3.1 MB) Conclusions from a performance comparison of institutional arrangements in Germany, Finland and Great Britain. In: Journal for Parliamentary Issues, issue 4/2007. German Association for Parliamentary Issues, accessed on February 20, 2013 .
  3. European policy decision-making in the Federal Government. Early warning on European policy - the EU coordination group. May 11, 2013, accessed February 20, 2013 .
  4. With stability, responsibility, growth, solidarity and global weight for European renewal - EU briefing on December 14th. European Movement Germany , December 14, 2012, accessed on January 17, 2012 .
  5. ^ Coordinating and shaping - responsibility for the European policy of the federal government . Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved on April 1, 2019.
  6. Competence Center European Law . Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved on April 1, 2019.
  7. ^ Organization plan of the Federal Ministry of Finance Status: July 2012. Federal Ministry of Finance, accessed on November 10, 2012 .
  8. Maas: “Consumer protection is not an issue of appeals” ( Memento of the original from 23 September 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Website of the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection. Retrieved February 13, 2014.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bmj.de
  9. ^ The Stuttgart Declaration. Retrieved June 6, 2010 .
  10. http://dipbt.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/16/139/1613925.pdf
  11. Permanent Representation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the European Union, Brussels. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 30, 2011 ; Retrieved November 3, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bruessel-eu.diplo.de
  12. European Movement Germany. Federal Foreign Office , October 7, 2010, accessed on November 3, 2010 .
  13. Good Governance Article 11. (No longer available online.) European Movement Germany , archived from the original on November 8, 2010 ; Retrieved November 22, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.europaeische-bewegung.de
  14. See EU de-briefings on European / specialist councils. (No longer available online.) European Movement Germany , archived from the original on October 31, 2010 ; Retrieved November 3, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.europaeische-bewegung.de
  15. For the current discussion, cf. EBD Exclusively discusses the composition and impact of German EU coordination. (No longer available online.) January 25, 2011, formerly in the original ; Retrieved January 26, 2011 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.europaeische-bewegung.de  
  16. Recommendations for the restructuring of the Federal Government's European policy. (PDF; 210 kB) Europa-Union Deutschland , accessed on January 19, 2012 .
  17. We need a Federal Minister for European Integration! In: Causa Debattenportal . ( tagesspiegel.de [accessed on August 12, 2017]).