Two Plus Four Agreement (1990)

Two Plus Four Agreement (1990)
Name	Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany
Other names	Two Plus Four Agreement
Caption	Signing of the treaty, Moscow, 12 September 1990
Date signed	12 September 1990
Location signed	Moscow
Date effective	15 March 1991
Signatories	Helmut Kohl, Mikhail Gorbachev, George H. W. Bush, Margaret Thatcher, François Mitterrand, Bruno Kreisky
Languages	German, Russian, English, French

Two Plus Four Agreement (1990) The Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, commonly called the Two Plus Four Agreement, was the diplomatic accord that settled the external aspects of German reunification between the two German states and the four Allied powers of World War II. The accord ended postwar occupation issues, affirmed borders, regulated forces, and paved the way for the accession of the German Democratic Republic to the Federal Republic of Germany; it was negotiated amid the collapse of Poland's communist regime, the Velvet Revolution, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Background

The context for the treaty lay in developments including the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the Revolutions of 1989, and changes in the policies of leaders such as Helmut Kohl, Mikhail Gorbachev, George H. W. Bush, François Mitterrand, and Margaret Thatcher. Postwar arrangements from the Yalta Conference and the Potsdam Conference had left Germany subject to occupation rights held by the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France. The emergence of Solidarity in Poland, the reunification movements in East Germany, and diplomatic activity at forums like the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe intensified the need for a final settlement affecting borders such as the Oder–Neisse line and security arrangements involving the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Warsaw Pact.

Negotiation and Signatories

Negotiations took place in a framework where the two German states—the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic—met with the four Allied powers: the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France. Key figures included Helmut Kohl for West Germany, Lothar de Maizière for East Germany, and for the Four Powers leaders like Mikhail Gorbachev, George H. W. Bush, John Major (as Margaret Thatcher's successor later involved in related diplomacy), and François Mitterrand. Diplomatic venues included meetings in Moscow and consultations with ministers such as Douglas Hurd, Edgar Faure, and James Baker. The treaty text was agreed on 12 September 1990 and was signed amid international attention from institutions like the United Nations and regional players including Poland and Czechoslovakia.

Main Provisions

The treaty's provisions covered sovereignty, borders, military limitations, and the withdrawal of foreign forces. It restored full sovereignty to a united Germany and confirmed the inviolability of the Oder–Neisse line as the border with Poland. It required Germany to renounce the manufacture and possession of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons beyond its NATO commitments and set limits on armed forces and foreign deployments. The accord addressed the status of Berlin by ending the Four Powers' special rights and confirming Berlin as the capital of a united Germany. It also included clauses on the withdrawal timetable for Soviet forces and assurances regarding NATO expansion and the non-deployment of certain foreign forces on former East German territory.

Implementation and Allied Withdrawals

Implementation involved phased actions: the legal accession of the German Democratic Republic to the Federal Republic of Germany on 3 October 1990, ratification by the signatories, and the scheduled withdrawal of Soviet troops from former East German bases. The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and subsequent agreements facilitated arms reductions alongside bilateral agreements between Germany and the Soviet Union. The withdrawal of Soviet forces, completed in 1994, involved logistical operations across bases in Brandenburg, Saxony, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and coordination with organizations like the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Implementation also required domestic legal harmonization across institutions such as the Bundestag and the Bundesrat.

Legal Status and International Impact

Legally, the treaty is an international agreement binding the signatories under principles reflected in the Charter of the United Nations and customary international law. It superseded occupation-era arrangements from the Allied Control Council and redefined Germany's international personality, enabling full membership functions in organizations including NATO and the European Community. The accord influenced debates on treaty succession exemplified by issues between unified Germany and successor states of the Soviet Union, and affected regional security dynamics in relations with Poland, Czech Republic, and Lithuania. The treaty has been cited in jurisprudence and diplomatic practice concerning territorial finality and external sovereignty claims.

Political and Economic Consequences for Germany

Politically, reunification reshaped party politics in unified Germany, affecting parties like the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, the Social Democratic Party of Germany, and the emergence of movements tied to former East German elites. The incorporation of the East led to large-scale fiscal transfers under policies administered by the Federal Ministry of Finance and influenced monetary integration through the adoption of the Deutsche Mark prior to entry into the European Monetary System. Economically, reunification required investments in infrastructure across regions such as Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, restructuring of industries once part of the COMECON networks, and privatization processes managed by the Treuhandanstalt. The social consequences included labor market shifts affecting municipalities like Leipzig and Dresden and migration flows toward western states including North Rhine-Westphalia.

Legacy and Historical Assessment

Historians and analysts debate the treaty's long-term legacy: some highlight it as a diplomatic milestone alongside the End of the Cold War and the reunified Germany’s integration into European Union structures; others critique missed opportunities regarding security assurances and economic planning. The agreement remains a touchstone in studies of leaders such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Helmut Kohl, in works on post-1989 transitions like the German reunification, and in assessments of institutions including NATO and the European Commission. Commemorations and scholarly literature continue to examine its role for contemporary issues such as NATO enlargement, Russian Federation–European Union relations, and the evolution of continental order since 1990.

Category:Treaties of Germany Category:1990 in international relations