The new President of the Association of German Cities, Burkhard Jung, is calling for the rapid implementation of the federal government's special fund for investments. "We need very lean procedures for this, preferably fixed budgets for the cities, without complicated applications and proof of funds," the SPD politician told the German Press Agency after his election in Hanover. According to Jung, structural characteristics such as the unemployment rate or investment requirements should also be taken into account for the funds. In addition, the infrastructure package must be followed by a package to reduce bureaucracy. There needs to be "more leeway in municipal planning law and in the awarding of contracts", said Jung.
According to Jung, municipalities across Germany had a deficit of 25 billion euros. "With the latest tax estimate, we expect that the municipal financial situation will not improve in the short term. It is therefore clear that we need a larger share of local taxes, because we have to get out of structural underfunding."
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