Germany's states urge Berlin to include them in Brexit negotiations

Berlin (dpa) - Germany‘s 16 states have appealed to the federal government of Chancellor Angela Merkel to include them in negotiations about Britain‘s exit from the European Union.The Bundesrat - Germany‘s upper house of parliament, which is made up of representatives from the states - urged Berlin to "closely integrate and include [them] according to constitutional guidelines."In a declaration released on Friday, the upper house said that the states would be directly impacted by Brexit in more than 30 sectors including education, science, academic research, finance and trade.The declaration was critical of Merkel‘s government for leaving the states out of the loop in initial negotiations about Brexit.The news comes two days after Prime Minister Theresa May officially notified the European Council of Britain‘s EU departure by triggering Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union.Under Germany‘s federal system, Berlin makes most of the laws, but leaves their implementation to the states. The Bundesrat is a powerful body of representatives that must approve most critical legislation.