Rhineland-Palatinate: Interior Minister calls for innovation in municipalities!

Rhineland-Palatinate: Interior Minister calls for innovation in municipalities!

A lot is happening in municipal cooperation in Rhineland-Palatinate, even if the state government is calling for more speed and openness. Interior Minister Michael Ebling (SPD) emphasized that the existing projects for voluntary municipal cooperation definitely offer potential for improvements. Particular attention is being paid to the need for highly compatible financial management software that could create synergies and reduce the burden on administrations enormously. Inter-municipal cooperation should enable digital services seamlessly across district borders.

But there are challenges because the planned municipal reform for 2024 has been put on hold. Instead, the focus is now increasingly on the voluntary merger of entire communities. This is particularly important because of the approximately 2,300 municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate, around 1,600 have fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, and 144 local municipalities even have fewer than 100 inhabitants. Green party leader Pia Schellhammer is calling for a fundamental modernization of the administrative structures that have existed since the 1970s.

Voices from politics

Schellhammer criticizes the differences in approval practices and the lack of digital accessibility caused by the small-scale administrative units. The President of the Court of Auditors, Marcel Hürter, points out that Rhineland-Palatinate has the most fragmented administrative structure in Germany. Andreas Göbel, director of the Rhineland-Palatinate District Council, emphasizes that there are projects for digital collaboration between districts, but clearly warns against the closure of public facilities in rural regions.

Meanwhile, Moritz Petry, the managing director of the Association of Cities and Municipalities, emphasized that inter-municipal cooperation does not necessarily lead to financial relief, but can significantly increase efficiency. This collaboration is particularly important in the context of the shortage of skilled workers. Slow steps in this direction can already be observed in the Middle Rhine, where these approaches offer concrete advantages over territorial changes.

The digital space: Discord as a platform for community and cooperation

While the political discussions about the administrative structures are ongoing, there are also modern means of communication that contribute to networking. The Discord platform has established itself as a popular space for many users to play, spend time with friends and build a global community. Here, users can customize their own spaces to connect without having to call or invite anyone. With high streaming quality and low latency, users can enjoy a collaborative experience as if they were in the same room.

The ability to use different devices such as PC, mobile phone and console while managing multiple group chats could also play an interesting role for inter-communal collaboration. Especially in times when personal encounters are often difficult, Discord offers a platform to get in touch with each other quickly and easily.

The topics discussed shed light on the need for adaptation and modernization in administrative practice. It remains exciting to see how the Rhineland-Palatinate state government and the municipalities will develop further in order to truly meet the challenges of the future.

You can find out more about current developments in municipal cooperation in this article by GA.de and further information about the Discord platform at discord.com.