Fusion of Berlin and Brandenburg

Berlin is wholly surrounded by Brandenburg, which has a large suburban population, dubbed the Speckgürtel (bacon belt). There are over 225,000 residents of Brandenburg who commute to Berlin as of 2020 and the states share a common history, dialect and culture. The states already cooperate extensively, for example they share one public broadcaster (the rbb), cooperate on judicial matters, transportation (the Berlin Brandenburg Airport and the Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg for example) and in the private sector, for example the Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg. Both the Senate of Berlin and the Brandenburg state government have agreed to even closer cooperation. The two states have, by 2012, agreed to 27 state contracts and 79 administrative arrangements. Both Berlin and Brandenburg have been dominated by the Social Democratic Party since the early 2000s, though the political culture of urban Berlin in particular is a lot different. The Social Democratic Party in Brandenburg is thought of as being more centrist, rural and culturally conservative, reflecting the sentiment of the state, in particular outside the Berlin metro. For example, when Social Democratic Party members were asked to vote on the renewed Grand coalition in 2018, opposed by the left-wing of the SPD, especially the Jusos, the SPD in Berlin opposed it as well. The Social Democratic Party in Brandenburg also has historically been very supportive of the lignite mining in the state, something that is universally disapproved of in Berlin. Legal basis The legal basis for a combined state of Berlin and Brandenburg is different from other state fusion proposals. Normally, Article 29 of the Basic Law stipulates that a state fusion requires a federal law. However, a clause added to the Basic Law in 1994, Article 118a, allows Berlin and Brandenburg to unify without federal approval, requiring a referendum and a ratification by both state parliaments. == 1996 fusion attempt ==

State Contract After the Bundestag passed Article 118a in 1994, paving the way for unification without federal approval, preparations began for a fusion of the two states by 1996. The Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin had voted in favour of unifying with Brandenburg in principle back in February 1991. In April 1995, the Senate of Berlin and the Brandenburg state government agreed to a state contract unifying both states. The contract was ratified by the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin 188:42 and, a bit more narrowly, 64:24 by the Landtag of Brandenburg with a two-thirds majority each time. The new state would have been called Berlin-Brandenburg, would have had a population of around 6 million and a GDP of around 180 billion DM. The state governments heavily promoted voting in favour of the referendum, which was unsuccessfully challenged in the courts. The Party of Democratic Socialism and the Alliance 90/The Greens in Brandenburg opposed the referendum, as did a lot of local SPD politicians. Older voters in both states approved it by a majority, whereas among voters aged 18-24 in Brandenburg, only 24% voted in favour. a combined state would likely only have six, the maximum allocated under the degressive proportionality system of the Bundesrat. == Aftermath ==

The referendum defeat ended any hopes for a quick unification, with the states now preferring to cooperate via other means, as explained above. These common initiatives have brought Berlin and Brandenburg closer together than perhaps any other pair of states. However, as recently as March 2022, the heads of government of both states have affirmed they do not plan a fusion. == References ==