Superior Federal Authorities

The superior federal authorities of the administration are the highest level in governmental hierarchy. This level includes the Federal Ministries, the Office of the Federal President, the Federal Chancellery, the Federal Press Office and – because of its significance and its independence from the Federal Government – the Bundesrechnungshof (Federal Court of Audit)

Higher Federal Authorities

Furthermore, the Federation maintains a large number of central authorities and institutions for special areas of responsibility. The most important are designated as higher federal authorities being those with a high proportion of personnel. Their responsibilities cover the entire geographical area of the Federation, and they are directly subordinate to one of the superior federal authorities, usually the Federal Chancellery or one of the Federal Ministries.

Central Federal Authorities

These bear an organizational relation to the smaller federal authorities and institutions which are mainly occupied with scientific and informational matters. All in all, there are approximately 100 such central facilities, each of which is under the auspices of a Ministry.

Institutions and Corporations

"Direct Federal" corporations, institutions and foundations have been set up to execute particular state activities on a federal level. They carry their own responsibility for their respective specialized field in the entire Federal Republic and are supervised by one of the Ministries. The biggest of these institutions is the Federal Agency for Employment with its own substructure of regional and local employment offices. Others are occupied with scientific and cultural matters, such as the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz (Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation) and the Deutsche Bibliothek (German National Library).