Federalism and state structure in Germany

In short: Germany is a federal state made up of 16 Länder. Tasks and power are divided between the federation, the Länder and municipalities so that decisions are made close to citizens.

In more detail: The Länder have their own constitutions, parliaments and governments (deutschland-bundeslaender-ueberblick).

In detail

• Federation: Foreign policy, defence, currency, railways and much more.
• Länder: Education, police, culture and parts of administration.
• Municipalities: Towns and communities look after schools, roads, waste, nurseries.
• Bundesrat: Representation of the Länder, takes part in federal legislation.
• Federal President: Head of state with representative duties.
• Federal Chancellor: Leads the government and sets the guidelines of policy.
• Pros and cons: Diversity and proximity versus confusion of responsibilities, e.g. in schools.
• European level: The EU supplements the national levels (europaeische-union-geschichte-und-aufbau).