The “Sino-German Online Workshop: The Administrative Procedure Act”, organized by the Sino-German Legal Cooperation Programme took place on 26 November 2021 from 3pm to 7.15pm at the German Centre in Beijing. Ten participants from the Chinese side were in attendance, including four professors from the Chinese University for Political Science and Law and six representatives from the Legal Affairs Commission (LAC) of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. Two German professors took part online as experts in German administrative law.
After a brief welcome, the presentation by Prof. Schönenbroicher started the event. Following a brief historical outline of the Administrative Procedure Act, Prof. Schönenbroicher explained the structure of the Act and addressed the three areas that formed the core of his talk: Codification, administrative style and controls, planning and construction of spatially significant major projects through planning approval procedures.
Prof. Schönenbroicher’s talk was followed – after a short break – by the discussion, for which he was joined by the second expert Prof. Schwarz. The participants questions were on the following topics in particular: the relation between a general administrative law and individual sectoral laws, the steps involved in planning approval procedures, and the rectification of procedural errors. The responses to the questions were alternately given by one of the two experts and then expanded on by the other.
The event ended with some summarizing comments and words of thanks from both the Chinese side and from the Legal Cooperation Programme.