Germany is rich – but not everywhere. There are Boom regions, where work and housing are scarce. And there are rural areas where young people, Doctors, and Confidence are missing. A Commission to change that.
In Germany, the official goal is to have roughly equivalent living conditions. This is even in the basic law. However, this goal seems to be in danger, maybe today more than ever. You can tell already, and the level of security effort, a Commission of experts needs to be protected, the want to develop theme ideas. It’s Wednesday afternoon in the Berlin district of Moabit – in front of an old industrial building of red brick, was rebuilt in the trendy Congress Location. Who locks two security and personal checks will happen, and not from the snipers on surrounding buildings, scare you, can experience this afternoon, as the Commission of experts of the “Equivalent living conditions” takes up its work.
The Federal government had established the Committee to develop ideas on how the gap between booming regions on the one hand, and lowered areas on the other side can be closed. At the start also three Ministers, numerous Ministers, presidents and many representatives from municipalities and authorities are in addition to the Chancellor. Up to the summer break in the coming year six to have worked out groups, concrete proposals on how the Federal government can come to the goal of the basic law, which calls on the policy, to the “establishment of equal living conditions”.
Concentrated policy prominence at the launch event for the Commission to “Equivalent living conditions” in Berlin.
Seehofer: Commission heart of the home policy is “”
Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) to lead the work in the coming months, want to know the body as the “heart of the home policy”. “We want that all people can live well, and where you want to live,” the Minister of the interior. And the sound of zest for action and Implementation in the mood. So everything had missing observer last from the circles of the CDU/CSU and SPD coalition government. Several weeks had hooked the coalition in the duration of the dispute. To differences in the areas of asylum and migration policy, changes to personnel issues at the domestic secret service. Always in the centre of the dispute: the Minister of the interior.
Back to the property policy: At the opening of a permanent counterparty Merkel and Seehofer were friendly and solved.
So now the search to a new cohesion in society is also dysfunctional government a little closer together. At the kick-off event for the harmony and design-will reigned, at least. Topics are already enough on the Agenda. Including: How is the fast Internet to the last village? How do you make sure a good physician supply in areas where there is hardly any a person want to live? And, the exact opposite: How crowded can affordable big cities, and quality of life? Only three of an infinite number of questions to which the Commission answers to, in order to bring rural-urban migration, depopulation and overheated Boom regions back into balance.
Be suspended – the many faces of
What does it mean when people in rural areas as in cities feel left behind, which is illustrated by a conversation on the sidelines of the conference. The protagonists: A paramedic from Bavaria and the employees of a Berlin security company. The medic is the subject of the Commission. “With us in the Bavarian forest you can get for the houses and plots of land and not a Cent more, because no-one wants to live.” The man from the Berlin area responds: “And we have more and more colleagues who have to commute for an hour each day, and much more to the outside, because you’re getting in Berlin is simply not an apartment.”
The Saar Prime Minister, Tobias, Hans (CDU), also part of the Commission of experts, formulated with a view to this reality of life, the goal of the Commission’s work: “The benefits of prosperity reach the people.” In the process, rural areas are not doomed to be a loser regions in the global competition for talents and brains, says Hans, and tried a sweeping comparison. “The Silicon Valley was also a suspended Region, and the today would say certainly no more.”
This Boy has the same chance of a good education as a child from a richer neighborhood? So far, it is, unfortunately, too often: bad neighborhood, bad school.
Where the democracy is in danger
The gap between city and country, between Poor and rich and between Hopeful and Desperate seems to be increasing, and therefore the current government parties arrived. The view over the Atlantic ocean on the reasons for the electoral success of US President Donald Trump and the survey records of right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany, have shaken the Berlin politicians. Choice researchers assume that people in false, rural regions have searched for their Protest vote, a valve and found. In Germany, similar Trends are visible, show the xenophobic violence of recent weeks in places like Chemnitz, Köthen or Cottbus.
Minister for the family, Franziska Giffey wants to know circumstances of the search of “equivalent lives” as the promotion of democracy understood. It is not only the repair of roads and bridges, but “in our country, where democracy is in danger.” The goal must be that people can once again “be proud of your home, no matter where you live.” To a participation of the citizens has not been thought of in the context of this Commission. Instead of letting a Commission of experts in Berlin over a number of months will draw up its proposals, would have been able to organize the government in public debates and round tables in the regions. There is no question of that day.
Dilapidated bridges, tunnels and roads: If a Region is offline, you will see the condition of the infrastructure.
A few days earlier, Chancellor Angela Merkel, was received in her video podcast on the growing gap between winners and losers-regions. They announced that tangible improvements in people’s confidence in the policy. So the Expansion of broadband Internet and the Good-Kita-law two steps, in order to increase the “General level of satisfaction with the current living conditions,” Merkel said at the time. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said this afternoon similar, but with more Bavarian Pathos. He did not promise too much, but in the case of this Commission’s work is a “really big throw had to come” out of it. Then the Minister of the interior, disappeared by the middle of the room with the words: “So, and now I have to go back to the Bundestag.”