Workers' Safety from Electronic Devices: Proposal for New Directive Under Consideration by the Commission
In a joint appeal, the city of Dinslaken and the action alliance "For the Dignity of Our Cities" have urged for a sustained solution to address the ongoing structural underfunding and rising costs of social measures that are burdening municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).
The call comes as it was revealed that costs for tasks performed on behalf of the federal and state governments have "exploded" in recent years, leading to a deficit of 24.8 billion euros in municipalities' core and extra budgets last year. The municipalities' difficult situation, largely without fault, according to Dinslaken, has been worsening, and the federal government must also participate in the old debt regulation as announced.
The key demands of the alliance include adequate financial support, a reform of the relief act, sustainable funding solutions, and the ability for municipalities to maintain their services and responsibilities without facing constant financial shortfalls. They argue that municipalities require funding aligned with actual cost developments and a long-term fiscal stability plan to avoid new debts.
Eisloeffel, mayor of Dinslaken, emphasizes the need for increased funding, particularly in the form of an increased "association quota" - the share of municipalities in the state's tax revenue. She calls for this change to ensure Dinslaken can invest in its future, maintain good infrastructure, and provide necessary social services.
Despite the state government's further development of the Act on the relief of financially weak municipalities, Dinslaken and the alliance see this as a first step but call for further improvements. They stress that the proposed old debt relief is insufficient, affecting only 50% of old debts, and that the law lacks a plan to avoid new debts and may face problems in proving the level of debts due to a potential simultaneous need for auditors.
These concerns reflect urgent calls for a comprehensive, fair, and sustainable reform of state financial assistance to municipalities in NRW to safeguard their economic viability and social service capacity. Signing up for the Dinslaken-Newsletter provides updates on what's happening in the city every day, keeping residents informed about the progress of these much-needed reforms.
The urgent calls for reform echo in the realms of policy-and-legislation, urging a comprehensive and sustainable solution to the financial struggles of municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), as exemplified by Dinslaken. The reforms aim to ensure fair funding alignment, long-term fiscal stability, and the elimination of new debts, rather than solely focusing on the relief of financially weak municipalities, as stated in the general news.
