Athanasios Gromitsaris, Expropriations, Takings - ius-publicum

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The reason for expropriation must be legislatively determined through laws on
federal or state level and not created by the executive. 86 For example, the Federal Building
Code regulates expropriations for the purpose of urban development. Expropriation presup-
poses that an individual is deprived of her/his specific legal positions. The expropriation
must be necessary for the attainment of an exactly defined public purpose. If the purpose of
the expropriation is not fulfilled the expropriatee has a claim for restitution of the asset. 87
The requirements for the admissibility of expropriation are briefly and succinctly expressed
in Section 87.1 of the Federal Building Code: “Expropriation is only admissible in individ-
ual cases where this is required for the general good and the purpose to be served by expro-
priation cannot reasonably be achieved by any other means.” 88
No expropriation is necessary if a purchase in the open market can reasonably be
required, when the public project can be carried out equally well on public land, or when
partial instead of total deprivation of property, for instance by creating a right in rem on real
property, would be sufficient for the attainment of the public purpose. When the expropria-
tion is performed on the basis of an executive act (Administrativenteignung) 89 there are
more legal remedies available to the aggrieved party against the legal measure than in the
cases when expropriation is performed on the basis of a legislative act which is only chal-
lengeable by making use of the extraordinary remedy of the constitutional complaint before
the Federal Constitutional Court. That means that expropriation on the basis of a legislative
86 BVerfG, 1 BvR 2187/07 vom 8.7.2009, Absatz-Nr. (1 - 30), para 9
http://www.bverfg.de/entscheidungen/rk20090708_1bvr218707.html
87 BVerfGE 38, 175 (179).
88 See BVerfG, 1 BvR 2187/07 vom 8.7.2009, Absatz-Nr. (1 - 30), para 12 et sequ.
http://www.bverfg.de/entscheidungen/rk20090708_1bvr218707.html for a constitutional review of the application
of this section.
89 BVerfGE 100, 226 (239); 102, 1 (15) settled case law. BVerfG, 1 BvR 242/91 vom 16.2.2000, Absatz-Nr. (1 -
69), paras 41-43, http://www.bverfg.de/entscheidungen/rs20000216_1bvr024291.html.
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