Editing Foreign relations of Germany (section)

==Primary institutions and actors==

===Federal Cabinet===
The three cabinet-level ministries responsible for guiding Germany's foreign policy are the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and the Federal Foreign Office. In practice, most German federal departments play some role in shaping foreign policy in the sense that there are few policy areas left that remain outside of international jurisdiction. The bylaws of the Federal Cabinet (as delineated in Germany's Basic Law), however, assign the Federal Foreign Office a coordinating function. Accordingly, other ministries may only invite foreign guests or participate in treaty negotiations with the approval of the Federal Foreign Office.

===Bundestag===
With respect to foreign policy, the Bundestag acts in a supervisory capacity. Each of its committees – most notably the foreign relations committee – oversees the country's foreign policy. The consent of the Bundestag (and insofar as Länder are impacted, the Bundesrat) is required to ratify foreign treaties. If a treaty legislation passes first reading, it is referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, which is capable of delaying ratification and prejudice decision through its report to the Bundestag.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Reunification and West German-Soviet Relations: The Role of the Reunification Issue in the Foreign Policy of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1949–1957, with Special Attention to Policy Toward the Soviet Union|last=Feld|first=Werner|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff|year=2012|isbn=9789401194082|location=The Hague}}</ref>

In 1994, a full EU Committee was also created for the purpose of addressing the large flow of EU-related topics and legislation. Also, the committee has the mandate to speak on behalf of the Bundestag and represent it when deciding an EU policy position.<ref name="Collins-2002">{{Cite book|title=German Policy-Making and Eastern Enlargement of the European Union During the Ko: Managing the Agenda?|last=Collins|first=Stephen|publisher=Manchester University Press|year=2002|isbn=0719063280|location=Manchester, UK|pages=49}}</ref> A case in point was the committee's involvement regarding the European Union's eastern enlargement wherein the Committee on Foreign Affairs is responsible for relations with ECE states while the EU Committee is tasked with the negotiations.<ref name="Collins-2002" />

===NGOs===
There is a raft of [[Non-governmental organization|NGOs]] in Germany that engage foreign policy issues.  These NGOs include think-tanks (German Council on Foreign Relations), single-issue lobbying organizations (Amnesty International), as well as other organizations that promote stronger bilateral ties between Germany and other countries (Atlantic Bridge).  While the budgets and methods of NGOs are distinct, the overarching goal to persuade decision-makers to the wisdom of their own views is a shared one. In 2004, a new German governance framework, particularly on foreign and security policy areas, emerged where NGOs are integrated into actual policymaking.<ref name="Werner-2016">{{Cite book|title=NGOs in Foreign Policy: Security Governance in Germany and the Netherlands|last=Werner|first=Andreas|publisher=Waxmann Verlag|year=2016|isbn=9783830934073|location=Munster, Germany|pages=19–20}}</ref> The idea is that the cooperation between state and civil society groups increases the quality of [[conflict resolution]], [[Development aid|development cooperation]] and [[humanitarian aid]] for [[Fragile States Index|fragile states]]. The framework seeks to benefit from the expertise of the NGOs in exchange for these groups to have a chance for influencing foreign policy.<ref name="Werner-2016" />