Rockin' Through the Decades: NRW State Constitution Turns 75 and So Does Data Protection
North Rhine-Westphalia's State Constitution Celebrates 75 Years: A Look at Seven and a Half Decades of Data Privacy Legislation - Data Privacy Shift to Europe - North Rhine-Westphalia
Hey there! Let's dive into a trip down memory lane as we celebrate a major birthday—the North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) state constitution turns 75! From elections and education to data protection and Europe, this constitution plays a crucial role in shaping the daily lives of NRW citizens. Although it's aged a bit, it's far from rusty.
To celebrate this milestone, the Foundation House of History North Rhine-Westphalia will be presenting an exhibit in the state parliament from June 3 to July 11. The exhibition takes a deep dive into the historical journey of the constitution's creation, all the way to its adoption in 1950, and milestones that had a substantial impact on social developments in NRW.
Some of these game-changing moments include:
- 1968: The four-year primary school and the secondary main school replaced the traditional system, while denominational separation of schools was abolished.
- 1969: The voting age for active voting rights was lowered to 18, inspired by the student movement.
- 1978: Data protection was established as a fundamental right in the constitution, making NRW the first state in Germany to do so.
- 1985: NRW recognized environmental protection as a state goal, a move that reflected ongoing discussions.
- 2002: The strengthening of political participation gave citizens in NRW more say in state political issues, and children's rights were anchored in the constitution.
- 2020: Europe was referenced in the first sentence of the state constitution, emphasizing the European dimension in state policy and anchoring the promotion of a united Europe as a state goal.
Hans Walter Hütter, president of the House of History of North Rhine-Westphalia, shares his thoughts on the constitution: "It provides a stable framework for our coexistence, but at the same time, our societal changes also shape the constitution."
Amending the state constitution requires a two-thirds majority of the state parliament, and revisions have been numerous throughout the years. One unique aspect of the NRW state constitution is that the minister-president must be a member of the state parliament, unlike ministers.
The adoption of the German Basic Law in May 1949 marked a crucial stage in the creation of the NRW state constitution. After heated debates, the state parliament finally adopted the constitution on June 6, 1950, and citizens approved it in a referendum on June 18, 1950. The NRW state constitution came into force on July 11, 1950, despite the state of NRW having existed for about four years.
NRW was founded in 1946 by the British military government following the end of World War II and the fall of the Nazi dictatorship. The state was formed from the northern part of the Prussian Rhine Province and Westphalia in an operation called "Marriage" on August 23, 1946, in Düsseldorf. Lippe joined in 1947.
- NRW
- Constitution
- Data Protection
- Europe
- House of History
- Westphalia
- Environment
As we delve into the exhibition by the House of History North Rhine-Westphalia, one key area highlighted is the establishment of data protection as a fundamental right in the NRW constitution in 1978, a significant policy-and-legislation milestone for the region. This step positioned NRW ahead in the realm of data protection, a movement that is undoubtedly relevant in today's digital-intensive world and general-news discussions.
Furthermore, the European dimension has been recently emphasized in the first sentence of the state constitution in 2020, reflecting the interconnected nature of NRW's policy-and-legislation and the broader politics of the European Community, emphasizing the importance of promoting a united Europe as a state goal.
