A process for operating the brake arrangement of a vehicle is presented, which comprises an electrically controllable service brake system, which is set to generate brake forces independently of driver actuation, andwhich comprises an electrically controllable parking brake system, which is set to generate brake forces and maintain these forces. So that the parking brake system or its electromechanical actuating unit only needs to cope with relatively small load situations, it is proposed that, when, for certain operating conditions, the parking brake system has to maintain brake forces which are greater than the brake forces it is able to generate itself, the service brake system generates the additionally required brake forces.