Verwaltungsvereinheitlichung

I assume you mean the Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetz, commonly abbreviated VwVfG, the German Federal Administrative Procedure Act.

The Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetz is the foundational statute that sets out the general rules governing administrative procedures in federal public administration in Germany. It provides the procedural framework for how authorities initiate, conduct, and decide on administrative matters, and it governs the form and effect of administrative acts.

Its scope covers a wide range of decisions that affect individuals and legal entities, such as licensing, permits, benefits, and other official decisions. The law aims to ensure due process, transparency, predictability, and a balance between individual rights and public interests. Core elements typically include the initiation of proceedings, opportunities for affected persons to participate, and the obligation to inform and hear those involved.

Key procedural guarantees include the right to be heard, access to relevant information and documents, and orderly evidence gathering and assessment. The act also outlines the issuance of administrative acts (Verwaltungsakte), including the required content, form, and service, as well as applicable deadlines and remedies available within the administrative system and, if needed, through administrative courts.

Relation to other law is hierarchical: the VwVfG provides general rules that apply alongside and are supplemented by specialized statutes governing specific areas such as social, environmental, or fiscal administration. It interacts with the system of Verwaltungsgerichte (administrative courts) that handle judicial review of administrative decisions.

Since its enactment in 1977, the VwVfG has been amended several times to reflect evolving administrative practices, greater transparency, and evolving constitutional and human-rights standards within Germany.