Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany (2+4 Treaty)

Historical background

After Germany's defeat in 1945 the Allied powers exercised special rights in Germany and in Berlin pursuant to arrangements that ended hostilities in World War II and the formal surrender. The Cold War divided Germany into two states with different political alignments. By 1990 political change, mass movements in Eastern Europe and the decision of German leaders to pursue reunification created the conditions for a final settlement that would involve not only the two German states but the four wartime Allied powers.

Negotiations and signing

Negotiations took place in 1990 and culminated in a signing ceremony in Moscow on 12 September 1990. The parties comprised the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), together with the four Allied states: France, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. Because German political unification occurred on 3 October 1990 (German unification), the ratification process was adjusted so that the unified German state completed confirmation of the treaty.

Main provisions

• Sovereignty and finality: The treaty terminated the special rights of the occupying powers and restored full sovereignty to a united Germany, subject to the treaty's own provisions. It thereby replaced the post‑war legal arrangements of the Allies.
• Reunification endorsement: The signatories recognised the accession of the territory of the former East Germany to the Federal Republic and endorsed reunification under one constitution and government.
• Military limits and non‑nuclear commitments: Germany confirmed that it would carry out a peaceful policy, would not pursue nuclear weapons and accepted limits on certain types and deployments of armed forces. The treaty referred to the organisation and permissible deployments of the army, navy and air force.
• Restrictions on stationing: The agreement stipulated that there would be no permanent stationing of non‑German nuclear weapons on the territory of the former East Germany and restricted the permanent basing of major foreign combat formations there; NATO-related arrangements were taken into account (NATO).
• Withdrawal of foreign forces: The Soviet side undertook a timetable for withdrawal of its forces, which was completed pursuant to the treaty's schedule (withdrawal); the Western Allies coordinated their Berlin presence with that process.
• Borders and continuity: The Federal Republic reaffirmed the inviolability of Germany's frontiers and confirmed prior bilateral arrangements, notably the frontier with Poland and the 1970 agreements (1970).

Implementation and legal effects

The treaty entered into force after ratification procedures were completed and became operative on 15 March 1991, at which point Germany achieved full international sovereignty including over the city of Berlin. Although six states had signed the instrument, the political reality of unification meant that the ratification process involved a single German state acting for the territory of both former German states.

Military, security and regional implications

Provisions limiting certain categories of weapons and the permanent stationing of allied forces in the territory of the former GDR were intended to reduce concerns among neighbouring countries and to facilitate a stable security environment in Central Europe. Germany's commitment not to acquire nuclear weapons and to observe constraints on forces helped to build confidence that reunification would not alter the broader balance of power in Europe. The treaty therefore linked questions of sovereignty with assurances about military posture.

Aftermath, significance and interpretation

The 2+4 Treaty is widely regarded as the legal instrument that enabled peaceful reunification with the explicit consent of the principal Allied powers while embedding security guarantees aimed at assuaging regional concerns. It remains an important reference in scholarship and policy debates about European order, NATO enlargement and the legal dimensions of sovereignty and territorial settlement. Historians and legal scholars study the treaty both for its diplomatic process and for how it balanced national aspirations with international guarantees.

Further reading and official texts

• Official treaty texts in multiple languages: German (DE), French (FR) and Russian (RU).
• Parties and actors: West Germany (FRG), East Germany (GDR), France, United States, United Kingdom, Soviet Union and the signing venue (Moscow).
• Contextual references: Allies of WWII (Allies), the 1945 surrender, the end of World War II, German unification, troop withdrawal, armed forces (army, navy, air force), NATO, restricted weapons, relations with Poland and the 1970 treaty.