The permanent and fair division of labor between the federal capital Berlin and the federal city of Bonn was laid down in the Berlin/Bonn Act of 1994. Accordingly, the preservation and promotion of political functions in the federal city of Bonn is to be implemented in the following policy areas:

• Education and science, culture, research and technology, telecommunications,
• environment and health,
• food, agriculture and forestry,
• development policy, national, international and supranational institutions and
• defense

It was also decided that federal ministries would be located in Berlin and Bonn, with federal ministries in Bonn having a (second) official seat in Berlin and federal ministries in Berlin having a (second) official seat in Bonn. Today, six federal ministries have their first office in Bonn, which correspond to the policy areas defined at the time. These ministries in particular have close spatial ties to the existing or newly established institutions in Bonn. The Berlin/Bonn Act also stipulated that the majority of ministerial jobs should be retained in the city of Bonn. However, the majority of jobs have been registered in Berlin since 2008. Over time, the ratio between the government locations of Berlin and Bonn has developed to the disadvantage of the federal city of Bonn. In the Federal Government's 2023 Partition Costs Report, the ratio of ministerial jobs is given as around 73% (Berlin, approx. 18,700 jobs) to 27% (Bonn, approx. 7,000).

Bonn's status as a federal city is established by the Berlin/Bonn Act. The compensation for the federal city of Bonn and the surrounding region for the loss of the seat of parliament and parts of the government functions has been completed. The Federal City of Bonn region has developed into a forward-looking, flourishing region with a distinctive profile, particularly in the areas of sustainability, climate protection and development cooperation, as well as a well-positioned science and research region. It is an important European and international location for the United Nations.

In addition to the tasks of representing the state as a whole, the Berlin/Bonn Act provides for the preservation and promotion of certain policy areas in the federal city of Bonn and as a location for international institutions, among others. Such functions, location decisions and competencies of the Federal City of Bonn, which have added value for the whole of Germany, are to be maintained and further developed in the interests of the federal state as a whole with the planned supplementary agreement to the Berlin/Bonn Act.

Against this background, the federal government, the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate and the Federal City of Bonn region have agreed the following key points for further talks on a supplementary agreement to the Berlin/Bonn Act in six subject areas:

1. The Federal City of Bonn region as the seat of the United Nations and international organizations and as a location for sustainability
2. Federal City of Bonn region as a national and international cyber security location
3. Federal City of Bonn region as a cultural center
4. Federal City of Bonn region as a place for democracy education
5. Federal City of Bonn region as a location for a nationwide center for researching and communicating resilience
6. Federal City of Bonn region as a location for federal authorities and a place of residence for federal employees

Within the Bonn city administration, the Bonn Economic Development Agency is responsible for the “Federal City of Bonn region as a national and international cyber security location. The Federal City of Bonn region has locational advantages due to the region's existing expertise in the field of cyber security, which is a unique selling point in a Germany-wide comparison and in terms of overall national benefit.

Within the Bonn city administration, the Bonn Economic Development Agency is responsible for the topic area “The Federal City of Bonn region as a national and international cyber security location. The Federal City of Bonn region has locational advantages due to the expertise available in the region in the field of cyber security, which represents a unique selling point in a Germany-wide comparison and in terms of overall national benefits.

The Berlin/Bonn Commissioner will set up a new, permanent discussion format at her Bonn office, consisting of representatives of the federal government and the Federal City of Bonn region as well as the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, which will ensure cooperation beyond the implementation of the supplementary agreement on all issues relating to Bonn's function as a federal city. In order to implement specific projects and measures, the federal government, the Federal City of Bonn and the region will also agree on a binding format for their future cooperation.

The federal government, the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate and the Federal City of Bonn region have agreed to continue their talks on the basis of these key points and to conclude a supplementary agreement to the Berlin/Bonn Act in the course of 2024.