Mayors from Cochem-Zell demand: Less bureaucracy, more money!

Mayors from Cochem-Zell demand: Less bureaucracy, more money!

In the tranquil community of Alflen in the Cochem-Zell district, a burning issue is making headlines: the high level of bureaucracy that severely restricts the work of volunteer mayors like Berthold Schäfer. The local mayor of Alflen, a community with around 800 residents, has made it his duty to raise the voices of his colleagues. This is happening as part of an initiative that Schäfer launched in May 2025 and which is now supported by almost a third of the local communities in Rhineland-Palatinate. SWR reports that the mayors would like to hand over a series of demands to the state government on Monday in order to achieve financial relief and reduce bureaucratic hurdles.

“There’s something going on!”, one could say, because more than 740 communities in Rhineland-Palatinate are affected by this problem. These community leaders are fed up with the amount of bureaucracy that often accompanies funding applications. Schäfer also has his hands full with the application for a new youth room - a mammoth task that costs a lot of time and nerves.

Reduction in bureaucracy and financial relief

The central demands of the initiative are clear: Firstly, a noticeable reduction in bureaucracy and secondly, financial relief for municipalities. In particular, the high expenditure on youth and social assistance as well as the financing of daycare places is pushing the municipalities' coffers to the limit. In the Cochem-Zell district, the municipalities have to hand over almost half of their income to the districts and another share to the association municipalities. This significantly limits the scope for action, which has a direct impact on citizens.

The Association of Municipalities and Cities of Rhineland-Palatinate (GStB) supports the initiative and makes it clear that over half of the cities and municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate do not have a balanced budget. The challenges are therefore great, and the community representatives hope that the state government will be willing to talk: All eyes are now on Prime Minister Alexander Schweitzer and Interior Minister Michael Ebling, to whom the position paper will be handed over today.

Strengthen volunteer commitment

The pressure on volunteers is growing not only in the communities, but also at the political level. Bundestag reports that in October 2024 the plenary session dealt with a motion from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group to relieve the burden on clubs and strengthen voluntary work. MEPs stressed that fewer and fewer people are willing to volunteer as much of their time is wasted on bureaucracy. This problem affects all levels of politics and is another indication that it is time to finally reduce the amount of bureaucracy.

The discussion about increasing the flat rate for trainers and volunteers as well as the introduction of a bureaucracy brake are steps in the right direction, although implementation is still a long time coming. Nadine Ruf from the SPD points out that voluntary work must also be incorporated into the parliamentary processes in order to meet the needs of civil society.

At the local level, volunteer mayors like Berthold Schäfer are now required not only to manage their communities, but also to fight for better framework conditions. Your voice is crucial and the upcoming talks with the state government could be the key to improving many local issues.