Far-right ideologies - The SPD-led ministry is uncertain about the SPD's request.
Amidst demands for increased safeguards against threats to the public sector from constitutional adversaries, there's no evidence of stricter measures being implemented in Thuringia thus far. At the moment, there are no definite proposals to revamp the legal framework in this region, as a spokesperson for the Thuringian Interior Ministry revealed to the German Press Agency in Erfurt.
Nonetheless, the ministry is closely observing how the enhancement of disciplinary law at the national level plays out. If needed, it will consider corresponding revisions to Thuringia's own juristic landscape.
National developments
Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) recently hosted a gathering for SPD interior ministers from the various states, at which Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) was also present. The Ohrdruf Declaration, a final communique released after this meeting, champions the tighter federal law emphatically. It declares, "The rule of law and democracy must be supported by a robust administration loyal to the constitution."
The attendees lauded the new federal law since it currently enables faster dismissal of constitutional foes from the public sector than before. "Several states have already adjusted, or are reviewing, their own disciplinary law in light of this."
The revamped federal disciplinary law was enforced as of April 1, 2024. Under this updated federal legislation, all forms of discipline, including termination from office, will be imposed using a disciplinary ruling. "The laborious administrative disciplinary proceedings are no longer valid."
Adhere to the new regulations during recruitment
Faeser expressed her thoughts following the implementation of the reformed federal disciplinary law, emphasizing the necessity of applying these new stipulations diligently. "Those who refuse the state should not serve it," she asserted. The federal government asserts that "it will not permit the democratic legal state to be undermined internally by extremists." The federal disciplinary law strictly pertains to civil servants in the federal administration, not those in state or local administrations.
Overall, the SPD interior ministers at the conference in Ohrdruf agreed that more diligence should be exercised in the recruitment process to prevent extremists from entering the civil service.
