German unification and the federal system

Abstract

The expansion of the German federation from 11 to 16 Länder following unification represents a manifold challenge for the federal system. A series of interim measures designed to meet the most immediate of these challenges on a transitional basis were incorporated into the Treaty on Economic and Monetary Union and the Treaty of Unification in 1990. The problem of a more enduring adjustment to the Federal Republic's constitutional order has, however, not yet been solved. Differences of perspective and interest between federation and Lander and between the Lander themselves have so far frustrated agreement on the measures needed to accommodate the new Lander within the federal system in the longer term. The possibility remains that these differences will not be bridged within the timescale set out for their resolution in 1990.