ABSTRACT
The Federal Republic of Germany, as the name already indicates, is a federal state (Art. 20 GG (Basic Law)).1 It is divided into a federal level (Bund) and a state level (Länder). The local level (Gemeinden, Städte) as well as the regional level (Landkreise) form part of the states. However, the right of local self-government is guaranteed by the Basic Law (Art. 28, para. 2 GG) as well as by most state constitutions.2
