Planning law is based on the balance between far-reaching procedural regulations for covering complex issues in a structured manner, the mandatory substantive provisions aimed at securing the requirements considered inalienable, and the extensive scope of discretion in planning to be occupied by the administration weighing all relevant aspects. Shaped over many years and decades in German law, this balance has come under the influence of European Union law for some time now, transforming continuously and causing shifts in German planning law. The irony of this development lies in the fact that planning law has enjoyed a strong renaissance thanks to the influence of European Union law on one hand, while the scope of discretion in planning has been gradually constricted under the same influence on the other. The article describes this development, its causes, as well as its associated consequences.