Local authority association

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Central municipal associations are amalgamations of local authorities ( districts , cities , municipalities ) at federal or state level :

Central municipal associations are the inter-municipal associations and organizations of German cities and municipalities at the state and federal level. These are voluntary associations based on private law. The central municipal associations represent the interests of the districts, cities and municipalities vis-à-vis other political actors and exert a significant influence on state and federal governments. The associations at federal level are the German Association of Cities , which represents around 3,600 municipalities, the German Association of Cities and Towns , through which around 13,000 small and medium-sized communities are represented with 16 regional associations, and the German District Association , which has 295 districts in 13 regional associations 74% of the transport authorities as well as approx. 68% of the population and 96% of the area of ​​the Federal Republic of Germany.

Their work is coordinated in the federal association of municipal umbrella associations founded on May 19, 1953 . The founding of the federal association has its historical roots in the institutionalized cooperation between the municipal umbrella organizations since 1927 and the cooperation agreement concluded in 1947 between the German Association of Cities and the German District Association in the US and British occupation zones. The federal association itself has neither its own budget nor an office; the German Association of Cities has taken the lead.

The central municipal associations are organized at the federal level as well as at the state level. They are financed primarily from membership fees or levies and are thus independent and independent of state instructions. This enables them to represent their members decisively.

Despite numerous advances, the municipal umbrella organizations have so far not succeeded in anchoring a qualified right to be heard or even a legislative right to participate in constitutional law by supplementing Article 28 of the Basic Law. However, individual federal states such as Bavaria , Baden-Württemberg , Hesse , Saxony , Thuringia and Brandenburg constitutionally guarantee participation in the legislative process. The central municipal associations in Hesse have the opportunity to participate in state legislation through the "Act on Securing Local Self-Government in Hesse Legislation (Participation Act)" of December 23, 1999, insofar as this affects the interests of the municipalities and municipal associations. There are similar laws in the other federal states mentioned.

Other external functions are advisory and hearing functions in planning projects and locally relevant decisions of the federal and state governments, as well as representing the interests of the members of the associations towards the federal and state governments. As a further large area of ​​work, the municipal umbrella organizations fulfill internal functions, e.g. B. the organization of the exchange of experience and opinion-forming process between the members, as well as their professional and legal advice. With the communal community center for administrative management (KGSt), a committee has also been created which provides an extensive range of services for the members of the communal umbrella organizations with expert reports, sample statutes, internet service and many other services, but does not itself count among them. An important research institute related to the German Association of Cities is the German Institute for Urban Studies (difu).

literature

  • DBS (2005): Institutions at federal and state level . Internet source
  • German Association of Cities (2005): Central municipal associations . Internet source

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