What are public authorities?

The Arbitration Service checks every application it receives to see if the Act on Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (BGG) can be applied in each specific case. As a very general rule, the Act is applied in the event of disputes arising in conjunction with accessibility, if these relate to federal administration bodies or other facilities, including federal public entities, institutions and foundations. This also applies to Länder-level public administration agencies, including Länder-level public entities, institutions and foundations, insofar as these execute federal law.

The BGG applies to the following institutions in particular:

• Federal Ministries and subordinate authorities which are technically responsible for specific administrative tasks and geographically responsible for the whole of the Federal Republic of Germany. This includes, though is not limited to, the Bundeskriminalamt (Federal Criminal Police Office), the Bundeskartellamt (Federal Cartel Office), the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Motor Transport Authority), the Statistisches Bundesamt (Federal Statistical Office), the Bundesumweltamt (Federal Environment Agency), the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (Federal Intelligence Service), the Deutsches Patentamt (German Patent Office), the Bundesamt für Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung (Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement) and the Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Schriften (Federal Review Board for Media Harmful to Minors)
• The Auswärtiges Amt (Foreign Office) with its missions abroad, the Bundeswasserstrassenverwaltung (Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration) with its waterways and shipping directorates and offices, and the Kreiswehrersatzämter (regional military recruiting offices)
• Social insurance providers, for example the Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund (German Statutory Pension Insurance), the Berufsgenossenschaften (occupational accident insurance funds), the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency) and the health insurance companies, whose jurisdiction covers more than three Länder, and federal bodies, e.g. the German Bundestag and federal courts, insofar as they perform administrative functions governed by public law
• Persons or bodies vested with public authority, such as Ersatzkassen (substitute health insurance funds), or captains of ships or aircraft

Examples: Public authorities (PDF, 142KB, File does not meet accessibility standards)