One year after the government change, major municipal organizations have expressed dissatisfaction with the communication channels operating within the Chancellor’s office. When questioned by the dts news agency about whether anything has improved since the start of the Merz administration, Achim Brötel, President of the German District Council (DLT), commented on the persistent lack of involvement of municipal peak associations in legislative procedures. He likened the situation during the previous “traffic light” coalition era to a “medium catastrophe,” noting that although the coalition agreement promised improvements, they cannot determine that the situation has gotten better.
Brötel stressed that they continue to receive substantial legislative packages, often with only two, three, or four days to issue a response, which he described as a “farce.” He argued that genuine interest in feedback from practical experience would require far more than just two to four working days.
Overall, he felt that the system has reached its limits. In the past, governments knowingly enacted policies even if there was an awareness that local communities could not afford them, often requiring municipalities to act as guarantors for the shortfall. However, according to the DLT President, facing the current overall municipal situation, they are no longer able to take on the role of deficit guarantors, which is causing the entire system to instability.
Meanwhile, Burkhard Jung, President of the German Cities Association (DST), insisted on the principle of “who orders, pays,” and called for immediate financial assistance for municipalities. Furthermore, he emphasized the need for a fundamental overhaul of the financial architecture. Jung told the dts news agency: “It cannot be acceptable that we are tasked with organizing and funding a quarter of the state’s services, yet only receive one tenth of the money.”
