Rhineland-Palatinate - Young Union approves agenda for strengthening the municipalities
The Youth Union (JU) of Rhineland-Palatinate has passed a paper on the financial situation of the communes in the state. The goal of "Agenda 49" is to increase motivation for political participation by improving the financial equipment of the communes, the CDU's youth organization stated. Real co-determination and -design is no longer possible in the municipalities due to their financial situation, according to the paper.
Communes in Rhineland-Palatinate have more than six billion Euros in debts, according to the JU. The Landesregierung is held responsible for this by the Youth Union. From there, more and more tasks and regulations have been imposed on the communes, for which insufficient funds have been provided. This contradicts Article 49 of the Rhineland-Palatinate State Constitution.
In this article, the communal financial equalization and communal self-administration are regulated. The latter is also limited due to the high burden on the municipalities, as it reduces the scope for design. Measures to strengthen the financial situation and self-administration of the communes are "particularly necessary because the motivation for engagement in the communes is clearly declining", said JU-Landesvorsitzender Christopher Hauß according to the statement.
The Young Union of Rhineland-Palatinate, in their discussion about commune finances, critiques the State Association for imposing too many tasks without adequate funding, which violates Article 49 of the state constitution. The CDU's Youth Organization, specifically Christopher Hauß, has emphasized the importance of strengthening the financial situation and self-administration of the communes in Mainz, as the decline in motivation for community engagement is a significant concern. To achieve this, the Young Union advocates for reinforcing the 'Agenda 49', aiming to improve the fiscal equipment of the communes to foster more active participation in politics.
