Germany's Constitution - the Basic Law of 23 May 1949 - created a democratic constitution which, despite amendments, has held up over the years, even providing the legal basis for German reunification in 1990. When it was written, the Basic Law was initially regarded as a temporary solution which would last until a pan-German constitution could be created, but over the years it has grown to become a mainstay of post-war stability and has even become one of Germany's most successful exports. Foreign scholars are particularly interested in the German conception of fundamental rights and the mechanisms in place for enforcing them in the courts, as well as in Germany's federal structure. Making and applying administrative law and working alongside the system of EU law are also subjects of great interest. This book, developed by a group of scholars in honour of the 60th anniversary of the Basic Law, presents examples of fundamental aspects of current scholarly debate. The analyses found in this book present the latest scholarly discussions, specifically for a foreign audience, touching upon constitutional law, administrative law and the place of the Federal Republic within the system of European Union law, with constitutional law providing the constant framework.

Preface by the German Federal Minister of InteriorHans-Peter FriedrichBasicsChristoph Möllers, BerlinThe Scope and Legitimacy of Judicial Review in German Constitutional Law: Report on a missing debate Constitutional LawChristian Calliess, BerlinDimensions of Fundamental Rights - Duty to Respect v. Duty to ProtectAxel Tschentscher, BernInterpreting Fundamental Rights - Freedom v. OptimisationWolfram Cremer, BochumThe Basic Right to Free Development of the Personality - Protection of Personality Development v. General Right of Freedom of ActionBernd Grzeszick, Heidelberg"The 'Serving' Freedom to Broadcast" - Subjective v. Objective Dimensions of a Fundamental Right: The reasons for and the course and borders of a separate German path in constitutional lawThorsten Kingreen, RegensburgRule of Law v. Welfare State Christian Waldhoff, BonnFederalism - "Cooperative Federalism" v. "Competitive Federalism" Hanno Kube, MainzFinancing the State - The Tax-Funded State v. Multiple and Mixed Financing StrategiesStefan Mückl, Freiburg i.Br.Public Church Law v. Religious Constitutional LawAdministrative LawMatthias Jestaedt, Freiburg i.Br.Democratic Legitimization of the Administrative Power - Exclusive v. Inclusive DemocracyMartin Eifert, GießenConceptualizing Administrative Law - Legal Protection v. Regulatory ApproachBernhard Wegener, Erlangen-NürnbergSubjective Public Rights - Historical Roots and Requisite Adjustments to the Confines of Legal ProtectionHermann Pünder, HamburgDispute Over the Importance of Administrative Procedure - Instrumental v. Substantive Approach European IntegrationMarcel Kaufmann, Göttingen/BerlinThe Democratic Legitimation of the European UnionThe Basic Law (Grundgesetz)