Ralph Spiegler, the president of the German Cities and Municipalities Association, welcomed the initiative proposed by Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, which suggests that the federal government should take on responsibility for heat protection in the future. Speaking on Thursday on RBB-Inforadio, Spiegler emphasized that local communities are facing severe financial difficulties, stating that they are contending with two major challenges: climate change on one hand, and inadequate support from the federal government on the other. According to Spiegler, if heat protection is to be a shared task involving the federal government, the states, and the municipalities, the federal government must participate in covering the costs. He noted, “We constantly criticize that the federal government creates tasks without providing adequate funding. A community task means that the federal government must contribute to the costs that the states and municipalities are obliged to bear.” Furthermore, Spiegler identified securing the drinking water supply as the most urgent priority. This includes expanding water storage facilities, a development that, he warns, will require 800 billion Euros over the next two decades. He stressed that securing potable water is the absolute minimum requirement, adding that many municipalities still struggle with insufficient inter-municipal cooperation and network solutions.
Politics
