Festlegung

Festlegung is a German noun meaning the act of fixing, determining, or stipulating something. It denotes the process of establishing terms, conditions, limits, dates, or standards, and the result of that process—a fixed specification or binding rule. The term is used across legal, administrative, commercial, and scientific contexts.

Originating from festlegen (to fix, determine), formed from fest "fixed" and legen "to lay," Festlegung often implies a formal, binding decision in legal language, while in everyday use it can refer to deciding a date or setting terms in a contract.

Applications span several domains. In law and policy, Festlegung sets regulatory or contractual parameters, such as die Festlegung der Rechtsgrundlagen or die Festlegung des Liefertermins. In commerce and industry, it is used for price settings (Preisfestlegung) and the specification of performance criteria. In science and technology, Festlegung denotes the establishment of measurement units or technical standards (Festlegung von Spezifikationen). In project management, teams make a Festlegung of milestones and deadlines.

Relation to related terms: Festlegung is closely related to Bestimmung, Festsetzung, and Vereinbarung, but emphasizes the act of fixing something as an agreed or obligatory condition rather than merely identifying it. The nuance depends on formality and context, with a larger emphasis on formalized or binding character in official or negotiated settings.