Germany, Meetings - understand-culture

Without Discussion

Much of the federal cabinet’s business is adopted ohne Aussprache, without discussion. These items are collected in the TOP-1-Liste, the list for agenda item 1. On 27 August 2025, the cabinet adopted 33 items in this way, among them draft bills, reports and many statements on bills from the Bundesrat.

The government’s rules of procedure require cabinet papers to be sent so early dass für eine sachliche Prüfung ausreichend Zeit bleibt, that enough time remains for a proper review. According to the Bundestag’s research service, at least one week should pass between delivery and deliberation.

Eighty Items in One Morning

The Bundesrat meets in plenary session about 11 times a year. The session always begins at 9:30 a.m. It often has 50 or 60 agenda items, sometimes more than 80. One or two items are debated in full. On average the session ends after three to four hours. Many speeches are not delivered at all but handed in for the record.

The work is done beforehand. Zwei Wochen vor der Plenarsitzung müssen die Ausschüsse ihre Beratungen abgeschlossen haben. The committees must finish their deliberations two weeks before the plenary. Each state must agree its position among its own ministries before the committee meets. Two days before the plenary, the session is reviewed again in the light of the state cabinets’ decisions.

The Paper on the Table

A Tischvorlage, a table paper, is a document that members see for the first time when they sit down at the meeting. City councils limit what can be done with it. In Witten, in North Rhine-Westphalia, at least 16 calendar days should pass between sending the invitation and the meeting. All draft resolutions go out with the invitation. Tischvorlagen können behandelt, aber nur in dringenden Fällen beschlossen werden.

Table papers may be discussed, but they may be decided only in urgent cases. In the village of Offenheim, in Rhineland-Palatinate, the state’s model rules of procedure apply. There, adding an urgent item at the meeting needs a two-thirds majority. While the council decides whether the item is urgent, it may discuss the substance only as far as it needs to judge the urgency.

The Third Day

The Bundestag’s rules of procedure set a minimum time for reading. Soweit die Geschäftsordnung nichts anderes vorschreibt oder zulässt, beginnen die Beratungen der Vorlagen frühestens am dritten Tag nach Verteilung der Drucksachen. Unless the rules provide otherwise, deliberation on a bill or motion begins at the earliest on the third day after its printed paper has been distributed.

Three Weeks for Apartment Owners

Owners of apartments in a German building meet at least once a year to decide on repairs, costs and rules. The invitation should reach them at least three weeks before the meeting, unless the matter is especially urgent.

Under the Condominium Act, a resolution is valid only if its subject was named in the invitation. A typical agenda item therefore reads Beschluss über die Sanierung der Fassade, resolution on the renovation of the facade, not a vague heading such as Allgemeine Überlegungen, general considerations.

Thirty Days and the Draft Resolutions

The annual general meeting of a German stock corporation must be called at least thirty days in advance. With the notice, the management board and the supervisory board must publish their proposals for the items to be voted on.

For some items, such as elections, only the supervisory board makes the proposal. Shareholders therefore receive the agenda and the draft decisions a month ahead. The law then closes the door on surprises. Über Gegenstände der Tagesordnung, die nicht ordnungsgemäß bekanntgemacht sind, dürfen keine Beschlüsse gefaßt werden. No resolutions may be passed on agenda items that were not properly announced.

Miscellaneous

Almost every German agenda ends with Verschiedenes, miscellaneous. In law, this item is almost empty. In 1992 the Federal Labor Court ruled that a works council can pass a valid resolution under Verschiedenes only if all its members are present and none objects. Guides for apartment owners’ meetings give the same advice: no resolutions under Verschiedenes.

In 2014 the Federal Labor Court relaxed its rule for works councils. A new item may now be decided if the council has a quorum, everyone was properly invited, and all members present agree. One member who is present can still keep it off the table.