Disentangling Double Politikverflechtung? The Implications of the Federal Reforms for Bund-Länder Relations on Europe
Abstract
The recent reforms of German federalism (Reform I) have established a new framework for Bund-L nder co-operation on EU policy. These seek to safeguard Germany's ability to co-operate in Europe by disentangling the joint roles and responsibilities bound up within the complex arrangements of the EU policy-making system, defined as a multiple framework of joint decisions, or doppelte Politikverflechtung . Whilst on the surface, the reforms enacted may be read as a success for the L nder in their bid to secure autonomy on European issues, closer analysis reveals that these changes may in fact hamper the L nder agenda on European issues, closing off new opportunities for influence.