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Proposed Council Regulation for Aligning the Beef and Veal Market Structure

In Rhineland-Palatinate, no prospective AfD members are admitted into public service. Job seekers are still required to confirm they have no ties to extremist groups, and the state now extends this requirement to the AfD. This action by the federal state has faced criticism from other federal...

Proposal by the Commission to the Council for Establishing a Unified Market Regulation for Beef and...
Proposal by the Commission to the Council for Establishing a Unified Market Regulation for Beef and Calves

Proposed Council Regulation for Aligning the Beef and Veal Market Structure

In a move that has sparked controversy, Rhineland-Palatinate has become one of the most stringent German states in excluding Alternative for Germany (AfD) party members from the civil service. This decision, which has been criticized as politically motivated, comes after the state government introduced a policy requiring applicants to declare loyalty to the constitution and affirm they have not belonged to any extremist organization, including the AfD, in the last five years.

The state, led by Interior Minister Michael Ebling (SPD), has taken a firm stance, banning AfD members from entering civil service positions such as civil servants, police officers, and teachers. Existing civil servants who maintain AfD membership could face disciplinary action, potentially leading to their removal.

This move follows the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's classification of the AfD as an extremist party, based on its ethnonationalist positions deemed incompatible with Germany’s democratic order. However, the decision has not been universally accepted. The AfD and opposition parties have strongly criticized the ban, accusing it of being a politicized attack on democratic principles and opposition voices. The CDU, Germany’s center-right party, has also condemned the ban as politically motivated and lacking constructive substance.

Meanwhile, the debate seems to be primarily documented in Rhineland-Palatinate, with ongoing political tensions at the federal level about classifying the AfD and limiting its members' participation in public-sector roles. Other German states, including Bremen, are likely watching Rhineland-Palatinate's example closely, but no concrete policy from Bremen has been noted in the provided sources.

The establishment of a federal-state working group was agreed upon at the interior ministers' conference to regulate how AfD members in the civil service will be handled in the future. The working group will be responsible for developing a common approach across all states and the federal government. However, the premature action of Rhineland-Palatinate could potentially preempt a potential application for an AfD ban, but not in a uniform manner across all federal states.

Ulrich Maurer, Bremen's interior senator and chairman of the interior ministers' conference, has expressed disappointment that Rhineland-Palatinate's decision contradicts the intention of developing a uniform strategy across all states and the federal government. He is critical of the approach, which AfD members could theoretically interpret as a prejudgment.

It is important to note that there is no final court decision classifying the AfD as a right-wing extremist party yet. The procedure for determining loyalty to the constitution based on party affiliation in the civil service is a point of sensitivity. Those hired into the civil service must already pledge allegiance to the Basic Law and the free democratic basic order, with corresponding recruitment criteria for the civil service already in place.

As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how other German states will respond to Rhineland-Palatinate's lead and whether a uniform approach will be established to regulate the participation of AfD members in the civil service.

The policy-and-legislation move by Rhineland-Palatinate to exclude AfD party members from the civil service, under the general news of state government's new requirements on loyalty and extremist organization affiliation, has stirred controversy and criticism as a politically motivated decision. The CDU, among others, has condemned this ban, arguing it is lacking constructive substance and a politicized attack on opposition voices.

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