Occupation statute

The Occupation Statute of Germany (German: Besatzungsstatut) of April 10, 1949 specified the roles and responsibilities of the newly created government of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the Allied High Commission. It was drawn up by American, British, and French representatives and was in force until the Treaties of Paris (1954) came into force on May 5, 1955.

Protest against The Ruhr Agreement, and against the occupation statute.

The statute's authors were United States Secretary of State Dean Acheson, British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Ernest Bevin, and the French Prime Minister Robert Schuman, who deliberated for eight days in intensive conferences in Washington, DC. It gave the Federal Republic conditional sovereignty and admitted it into the Marshall Plan organization as an equal partner. The Allies retained the right to keep occupational forces in the country and complete control over disarmament, demilitarization, related fields of scientific research, war reparations, the Ruhr, decartelization, foreign trade, the level of industrial production, displaced persons and refugees, protection, prestige and security of the occupying forces, foreign affairs, and foreign trade and exchange. The Federal Republic could only act in these spheres with Allied permission.[1][2]

Additionally, the Basic Law (constitution) could only be amended with the unanimous consent of the Allies, and the Allies had the right to veto any legislation that ran counter to the Basic Law or occupation policies. The Allies also had the power to resume full-fledged occupation in the event of an emergency.[2]

The Allies' representatives asked the Parliamentary council, which was in the process of drafting the Basic Law, to accept the statute. Although it met resistance from the SPD, the council accepted the Occupation Statute.[1]