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Traditions, Problems and Challenges of Inter-municipal Cooperation in the German Federal State of Brandenburg

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Inter-Municipal Cooperation in Europe

Part of the book series: Governance and Public Management ((GPM))

Abstract

Based on the traditions and the legal framework of local self-government, this chapter analyses the performance of inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) in the case of the German federal state Brandenburg. This East German federal state has undergone since 1989/1990 similar transformation processes as the other Central European countries of the sample. A document and literature review and a separate survey of special-purpose associations from November/December 2015 form the basis for this chapter. The chapter analyses the different forms of IMC used in Brandenburg. Despite some specific features (e.g., the proximity to the German capital Berlin), the results of the analysis of the IMC performance in Brandenburg can be generalised at least for the other East German federal states.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This level includes in addition the 107 county-free cities (kreisfreie Städte) that combine municipal and district functions. Data for January 1, 2016.

  2. 2.

    To the extent that the federal state delegates administrative functions to local authorities.

  3. 3.

    However, IMC between Brandenburg municipalities and Berlin are not possible because Berlin itself is a unitary municipality and its districts do not constitute separate municipal units. For this reason, for any issue (including municipal affairs), a treaty between the two federal states is always necessary (e.g., if Brandenburg pupils want to go to schools in Berlin and vice versa).

  4. 4.

    In the literature, various terms are used for this institutional arrangement such as inter-municipal associations or local government associations.

  5. 5.

    See Kommunalverfassung des Landes Brandenburg (BbgKVerf) vom 18. Dezember 2007 (GVBl.I/07, [Nr. 19], S.286), zuletzt geändert durch Artikel 5 des Gesetzes vom 11. Februar 2014 (GVBl. I/14, [Nr. 07] (see http://www.bravors.brandenburg.de/sixcms/detail.php?gsid=land_bb_bravors_01.c.47187.de#122).

  6. 6.

    See Gesetz über kommunale Gemeinschaftsarbeit im Land Brandenburg (GKG) in der Fassung der Bekanntmachung vom 28. Mai 1999 (GVBl.I/99, [Nr. 11], S.194), zuletzt geändert durch Artikel 3 des Gesetzes vom 16. Mai 2013 (GVBl.I/13, [Nr. 18], S.194; (See http://www.bravors.brandenburg.de/sixcms/detail.php?gsid=land_bb_bravors_01.c.47179.de).

  7. 7.

    The number may be partial since we have no exact data on working groups and other soft forms of IMC.

  8. 8.

    The regions are Prignitz-Oberhavel, Uckermark-Barnim, Oderland-Spree, Lausitz-Spreewald and Havelland-Fläming.

  9. 9.

    See Raumordnungsgesetz vom 22. Dezember 2008 (BGBl. I S. 2986), zuletzt durch Artikel 9 des Gesetzes vom 31. Juli 2009 (BGBl. I S. 2585) geändert.

  10. 10.

    See Gesetz zur Regionalplanung und zur Braunkohlen- und Sanierungsplanung (RegBkPlG) in der Fassung der Bekanntmachung vom 8 Februar 2012 (GVBl./12 [Nr. 13]), geändert durch Artikel 9 des Gesetzes vom 11. Februar 2014 (GVBl.I/14 [Nr. 07]).

  11. 11.

    See http://service.brandenburg.de/lis/list.php?page=behoerdenverzeichnis_art&sv[adr_art]=zv_*&_grid=Zweckverb%C3%A4nde. (Viewed on 17 March 2016.)

  12. 12.

    According to data of the Statistical Office Berlin-Brandenburg.

  13. 13.

    The online survey was based on a questionnaire proposed by a Polish team led by Pawel Swaniewicz in the English language, which was translated into German and adapted to the circumstances in Brandenburg. It was open from 3 November to 5 December 2014. For each of 74 SPAs, the president and the chairperson of the association board were asked to take part in the survey. In the end, 25 of the 148 special-purpose associations whose participation was requested completely filled in the questionnaires (N = 25). Hence, the response rate is 16.9 %. Given this, the survey is not representative, but does reflect opinions and self-images of high-level SPA representatives in Brandenburg.

  14. 14.

    They have different names; for example, the term “Round Table” is very common.

  15. 15.

    According to the presentation held by Mr. Sebastian Kunze (Association of Cities and Municipalities Brandenburg) on “The cooperation model of inter-municipal cooperation”, 10 June 2013 (see https://www.zab-energie.de/de/system/files/media-downloads//Das%20Kooperationsmodell%20der%20interkommunalen%20Zusammenarbeit-7812.pdf).

  16. 16.

    The final report was adopted by the majority of the commission, consisting of the commission members of the government (SPD and Left party) with the support of the commission members of the opposition party “The Greens”. The other opposition parties CDU and FDP as well as some individual members of the commission voted to some extent differently.

  17. 17.

    Presentation by Mr. Lutz Amsel during the commissions session at 10 February 2012, quoted according to final report, p. 157.

  18. 18.

    Koalitionsvertrag zwischen SPD Brandenburg und DIE LINKE Brandenburg für die 6. Wahlperiode des Brandenburger Landtages (URL: http://www.brandenburg.de/media/lbm1.a.4868.de/20141010-Koalitionsvertrag.pdf) (last retrieved on 29 September 2016).

  19. 19.

    Landtag Brandenburg (2016), Beschluss zum Entwurf des Leitbildes für die Verwaltungsstrukturreform 2019, Potsdam (Drucksache 6/4528-B).

    https://www.parlamentsdokumentation.brandenburg.de/starweb/LBB/ELVIS/parladoku/w6/beschlpr/anlagen/4528-B.pdf

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany

    Jochen Franzke

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  1. Jochen Franzke
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Filipe Teles

  2. Department of Local Development and Policy, Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, University of Warsaw, Warszawa, Poland

    Pawel Swianiewicz

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Franzke, J. (2018). Traditions, Problems and Challenges of Inter-municipal Cooperation in the German Federal State of Brandenburg. In: Teles, F., Swianiewicz, P. (eds) Inter-Municipal Cooperation in Europe. Governance and Public Management. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62819-6_10

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