The equalization of living conditions in town and country is the declared political goal of action in Germany. Rural federal states such as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are also heavily dependent on federal funds. But they should now be smaller.
Schwerin (dpa/mv) – The reduction in funding for rural areas planned by the federal government has met with broad rejection in the state parliament in Schwerin. Speakers from several parliamentary groups expressed concern that this would make it more difficult to achieve the desired harmonization of living conditions in town and country. “The federal government continues to depend on rural areas,” said SPD MP Sylva Rahm-Präger in parliament on Friday.
According to them, the federal funds provided for the joint task to improve agricultural structures and coastal protection are to be reduced in 2023 by 105 million to 529 million euros compared to the previous year. In addition, there would be savings in the promotion of rural development of 30 million euros. “This has dramatic consequences for our state,” she said.
On the night of Friday, the budget committee of the Bundestag completed the budget deliberations with the corresponding cuts and reallocations. The application submitted by the Schwerin governing parties SPD and Linke, with which the state government is asked to urge the federal government to reverse the cuts, is therefore too late, said Greens parliamentary group leader Harald Terpe. In addition, the federal government is reacting to the actual outflow of funds. In the past, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania had also not fully used the federal funds co-financed by the state, Terpe said.
Agriculture Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) criticized in the debate that the Berlin traffic light coalition is moving away from its goal of strengthening rural areas with the cut. He made Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) responsible for this. “A total of 24.5 million euros are not available in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania for the development of rural areas,” said Backhaus. This does not remain without an impact on important projects in the communities such as kindergartens, schools and village community rooms. “That’s a slap in the head for me,” said Backhaus. According to him, the new construction and renovation of 70 schools, 148 day-care centers and 138 village community centers were supported in the past funding period. According to Backhaus, grants from the EU and subsidies from the state are also dependent on the federal funds.
