Greens push for municipal reform in Rhineland-Palatinate

The opposition Greens party in Germany's Rhineland-Palatinate is intensifying its efforts to push for a municipal reform. The party aims to address the state's highly fragmented local government structure and the persistent financial difficulties faced by its municipalities. Pia Schellhammer, the parliamentary managing director of the Greens faction, announced they are "applying pressure" to enact necessary changes.

Schellhammer indicated that the initial stage of municipal reform, which involved merging some administrative districts (Verbandsgemeinden) years ago, is insufficient. She emphasized that further steps are crucial, a sentiment echoed by scientific findings on the matter. The Greens hope that this necessary reform can evolve into a "positive future idea" for the region.

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We are applying pressure.

Professor Martin Junkernheinrich from the Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University (RPTU) Kaiserslautern highlighted the urgency of the issue, noting that Rhineland-Palatinate has conducted accompanying research for 15 years with little progress. He, along with Jan Ziekow from the German Research Institute for Public Administration, proposed merging districts in a late 2018 report. Junkernheinrich pointed out that Rhineland-Palatinate, with over 2,000 municipalities, ranks second-to-last in Germany in terms of district size, only ahead of Thuringia, which is currently undergoing its own reform process.

Junkernheinrich stressed the need for viable community sizes, especially as the demands on municipalities become increasingly complex. He suggested that districts should ideally have at least 350,000 inhabitants and independent cities should serve populations of 100,000. He also stated that municipal and administrative reform must be accompanied by modernization of the state apparatus.

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In the optimal case, this can lead to a 'positive future idea'.