Since 1990, the Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History (IfZ) has been editing the series Akten zur Auswärtigen Politik der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (“Documents on the Foreign Policy of the Federal Republic of Germany” – AAPD) on behalf of the German Federal Foreign Office. After having been directly responsible for the first two editions on German foreign politics:  Die Große Politik der Europäischen Kabinette 1871-1914 (“The Great Politics of the European Cabinets, 1871-1914”) and Akten zur deutschen auswärtigen Politik 1918-1945 (“Documents on German Foreign Policy, 1918-1945”), the Federal Foreign Office decided to have the post World War II documents prepared by an independent research institute.

Since 1993, the Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History has thus presented an annual selection of documents from the Political Archive of the Federal Foreign Office, many of which previously classified. By maintaining a steady annual publication schedule in accordance with the thirty-year rule, the AAPD has set international standards. For nearly three decades, this edition has been of utmost importance for historians, students, and all those interested in studying the foreign policy of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The AAPD documents the development of the Federal Republic of Germany, bringing out a clearer view of Bonn’s relations with Washington, London and Paris, the European integration process, the Federal Republic’s policy towards Eastern Europe, in addition to relations with Africa, Asia and Latin America.