Berlin’s boroughs

After reunification in 1990, Berlin consisted of 23 boroughs. A constitutional amendment passed by the House of Representatives in 1998 set the parameters for borough reform, which went into effect at the beginning of 2001 and reduced the number of boroughs to twelve. Only the three largest boroughs, Neukölln, Reinickendorf, and Spandau, were unchanged by the reform. The others were combined into larger administrative units, although the original borders were retained. At the same time, the new borough structure achieves a certain balance in terms of population size.

Since 1995, Berlin’s boroughs have been given lump sum payments from the state budget with which they are to discharge their responsibilities as administrative units. This enables them to set their own financial priorities and increases their autonomy and independence.

The borough administrations consist of the borough assembly and the borough office. The members of the borough assembly are elected by German citizens eligible to vote and by EU nationals living in the borough in question. Parties receiving less than three percent of the votes cast in an election will not be represented in the borough assembly. The borough offices consist of the borough mayor and the borough councilors, who share administrative responsibility.

The mayors of all the boroughs, the Governing Mayor of Berlin, and his deputy, the Mayor of Berlin, comprise the Council of Mayors. The Senate is obligated to consult the Council of Mayors on fundamental legislative and administrative issues. The same applies to bills from the House of Representatives.

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