Berlin

===Berlin-Brandenburg fusion attempt===
{{Main|Fusion of Berlin and Brandenburg}}
[[File:DEU Berlin-Brandenburg COA.svg|thumb|left|upright|The coat of arms proposed in the state contract]]
The legal basis for a combined state of Berlin and [[Brandenburg]] is different from other state fusion proposals. Normally, Article 29 of the [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany|Basic Law]] stipulates that a state fusion requires a federal law.<ref>{{cite act |type= |index= |date=24 May 1949 |article=29 |article-type=Article |legislature=Parlamentarischer Rat |title=Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland |trans-title=Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany |page= |url=https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_29.html |language=de }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208004305/http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_29.html |date=8 December 2022 }}</ref> However, a clause added to the Basic Law in 1994, Article 118a, allows Berlin and Brandenburg to unify without federal approval, requiring a referendum and a ratification by both state parliaments.<ref>{{cite act |type= |index= |date=27 October 1994 |article=118a |article-type=Einzelnorm |legislature=Bundestag |title=Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland |trans-title=Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany |page= |url=https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_118a.html |language=de }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331191515/https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_118a.html |date=31 March 2022 }}</ref>

In 1996, there was an unsuccessful attempt of unifying the states of Berlin and Brandenburg.<ref name="berlingeschichte">{{Cite web |title=LÄNDERFUSION / FUSIONSVERTRAG (1995) |url=https://berlingeschichte.de/stadtentwicklung/texte/5_33_laefuver.htm |year=2004 |access-date=31 March 2022 |archive-date=5 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305230614/https://berlingeschichte.de/stadtentwicklung/texte/5_33_laefuver.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Both share a common history, dialect and culture and in 2020, there are over 225.000 residents of Brandenburg that commute to Berlin. The fusion had the near-unanimous support by a broad coalition of both state governments, political parties, media, business associations, trade unions and churches.<ref>{{cite news|date=4 May 2016|title=Die Brandenburger wollen keine Berliner Verhältnisse|url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/gescheiterte-laenderfusion-mit-berlin-die-brandenburger-wollen-keine-berliner-verhaeltnisse/13539146.html|access-date=30 March 2022|work=Tagesspiegel|language=de|archive-date=11 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311094627/https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/gescheiterte-laenderfusion-mit-berlin-die-brandenburger-wollen-keine-berliner-verhaeltnisse/13539146.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Though Berlin voted in favor by a small margin, largely based on support in former [[West Berlin]], Brandenburg voters disapproved of the fusion by a large margin. It failed largely due to Brandenburg voters not wanting to take on Berlin's large and growing public debt and fearing losing identity and influence to the capital.<ref name="berlingeschichte" />