North Rhine-Westphalia has no state Foreign Minister.

A state government does not reproduce every federal office.

Justice, finance and internal administration are important state responsibilities. NRW’s official overview lists the corresponding ministries. A foreign ministry modelled on the federal one is not part of that state structure.

At the same time, NRW lists a minister for federal and European affairs, international affairs and media, as well as its representation to the European Union in Brussels. These roles show that international cooperation must be distinguished from Germany’s general foreign policy.

The other three answers

Notice the word not: these three ministries do exist.

The states are not completely excluded from international activity.

Article 32(3) allows states, within their legislative competence and with the Federal Government’s consent, to conclude treaties with foreign states. Saying that a state can never have international treaties or contacts would therefore go too far.

Ministry names and the grouping of responsibilities can change. The test answer is based on the allocation of public responsibilities, rather than the name of a current officeholder. The official state overview is the reference for the current departmental structure.