The law adopted by the Bundestag and Bundesrat is submitted to the Federal President for signature.

The Federal President checks if the law is constitutional. If there are serious doubts about legality, he can refuse to sign – but this is rare.

If everything is in order, the President signs the law. After signing, it is published in the Federal Law Gazette and then takes effect, either at a set date or immediately.

With this, the legislative process is completed – the new environmental protection law is now binding for all citizens in Germany.