The Basic Law provides that the Federal Government comprises the Federal Chancellor and the Federal Ministers (Article 62 of the Basic Law). These individuals form the so-called Federal Cabinet that is chaired by the Federal Chancellor.

Appointment of Federal Ministers

The Federal Chancellor submits a binding proposal to the Federal President in which he or she suggests which persons should become Federal Ministers and which departments they should be in charge of. The Federal President formally appoints the Ministers.

The Basic Law does not stipulate the precise number of Federal Ministers. The Cabinet may have to be reshuffled during a Federal Government’s ongoing term of office if ministerial offices are reallocated. Any dismissals of Ministers are also proposed by the Federal Chancellor.

Forming a Cabinet in a coalition government

When there is a coalition government, the Federal Chancellor is bound politically by the coalition agreements when selecting the Ministers. These agreements are the result of negotiations between the coalition partners in which they determine their joint government’s programme. 

A coalition government is formed when two or more parties that are represented in the Bundestag and together hold the majority of the seats in the Bundestag form an alliance. The federal government is then a coalition government. Negotiations on coalition agreements generally precede the forming of the Cabinet.

Cabinet meets on Wednesdays

The Cabinet has an important role to play in day-to-day government. It usually meets every Wednesday and is chaired by the Chancellor. Whenever the Chancellor is unable to attend, his or her deputy will chair the Cabinet meetings. In addition to the Federal Ministers, the Cabinet meetings are regularly attended by the Government Spokesperson and the Ministers of State, despite the fact that they do not belong to the Cabinet.

During Cabinet meetings the Chancellor and the members of the Cabinet discuss and decide on the Federal Government’s upcoming projects: draft laws, ordinances, initiatives, programmes of action, reports and the federal budget, for instance.

The Federal Cabinet’s work is based on the rules of procedure.
More information about the Cabinet’s resolutions is available here.

The principles of the Federal Government’s work

The Basic Law distinguishes between three important principles that apply to the work of the Federal Government: the principle of Chancellor policy guidelines, the principle of collegiate responsibility and the principle of ministerial autonomy (Article 65 of the Basic Law). They dictate how the Cabinet works and the division of labour within the Cabinet.

• Principle of Chancellor policy guidelines: “The Federal Chancellor shall determine and be responsible for the general guidelines of policy.”
  This means that the Federal Chancellor determines the general focus of policy and is responsible for it. This competence to determine policy guidelines is based on the rules of procedure adopted by the Federal Cabinet and approved by the Federal President.
• Principle of ministerial autonomy :  “…each Federal Minister shall conduct the affairs of his department independently and on his own responsibility.”
  The Federal Ministers are independently in charge of their departments. They must make their decisions within the framework of the Federal Chancellor’s policy guidelines. The Federal Chancellor must not readily interfere in the Minister’s areas of responsibility.
• Principle of collegiate responsibility: “The Federal Government shall resolve differences of opinion between Federal Ministers.”
  Any far-reaching decisions are made jointly in the Cabinet. Whenever there are differences of opinion, the Chancellor has to mediate. As the “first among equals” the Federal Chancellor usually has the last say.