Boris Rhein has been Prime Minister of Hesse for a week. In his first government statement, the CDU politician presents his “Hesse agenda”.
Wiesbaden (dpa / lhe) – Hesse’s new Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) wants to put security policy at the center of his work. “Granting the citizens freedom in security (…) is the most important task of a democratic constitutional state,” he said in his first government statement on Tuesday in the state parliament in Wiesbaden. “The agenda of the Hessian state government will be a bundle of security and confidence measures.”
Security encompasses all aspects of a society’s existence, emphasized the Prime Minister. In addition to internal and external security, he mentioned, among other things, economic and social security as well as the preservation of creation and a secure energy supply with renewable energies. The new head of government was elected a week ago in the state parliament to succeed long-standing Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU).
Rhein announced that he intends to develop the Frankfurt financial center into the leading location in continental Europe for the regulation of the financial sector. The Rhine-Main region should become one of the most important locations for cyber security, space travel and data centers. He confirmed his plan to bring the IAA motor show back to Frankfurt. “I can’t tell you if we’ll succeed, but we must at least try.” The traditional trade fair does not belong in Munich.
According to the Prime Minister, the government intends to present a Hessian climate law this year. The country wants to give its climate goals legal status for the first time. Hesse should therefore become climate-neutral by 2045, five years earlier than initially planned.
According to Rhein, a new climate protection plan will be drawn up to reduce Hessian greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in accordance with the Paris Climate Protection Agreement and the climate targets of the EU and the federal government. Important building blocks are the expansion of bus and rail transport and inexpensive tickets, such as the planned municipal ticket for all employees of the Hessian municipalities. An amendment to the Hessian energy law is also intended to provide “important impulses for the expansion of renewable energies and for greater energy efficiency in buildings”.
The CDU politician announced a hospital summit for inpatient care in Hesse, which should include the experiences from the corona pandemic. “Our goal is for every Hessian to be able to reach a hospital within 30 minutes in an emergency.”
With a view to the flood disaster in the Ahr valley, Rhein said that the existing siren network had to be expanded again. The country will also check what other protective measures are necessary. “This not only applies to technical issues, but also to the adequate supply of food, medicines and medical materials,” he explained and announced a “Hesse reserve for medical material” and a “Hesse reserve for health protection”.
“We will also have to reactivate shelters,” Rhein said. The state government will therefore work to ensure that the federal government creates a concept together with the states. This should also include suitable buildings such as subway stations, underground car parks or basements in public buildings.
Rhein also announced a draft law for the gradual reorganization of civil service salaries in Hesse. He wanted to involve the trade unions at an early stage. “A stable state needs a strong civil service.” The Hessian Administrative Court ruled at the end of last year that civil servants’ salaries in Hesse are too low and violate the Basic Law. The judges ruled that from 2013 to 2020 the civil servants were not paid enough.
