CDU top candidate Sven Schulze from Saxony-Anhalt has sharply rejected Bavarian Minister President Markus Söder's idea of merging federal states. Saarland's Minister President Anke Rehlinger also opposes the demand. Söder argues with financial burdens on strong states like Bavaria.
Markus Söder, Bavaria's Minister President and CSU leader, demanded the merger of federal states during the CSU parliamentary group's winter retreat at Kloster Banz. He criticized that some states were barely viable and had to be funded by Bavaria and others. 'Larger units are more successful than small ones,' argued Söder. 'We need fewer federal states, simply put.' He acknowledged that this would not happen overnight but did not name specific states.
Sven Schulze, CDU top candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, countered this demand. 'I see no point in a new discussion on state mergers – there will be no federal state of Central Germany with us,' he told newspapers of the Funke Mediengruppe. Schulze is to be elected Minister President on January 28; incumbent Reiner Haseloff (CDU) will step down the day before. After taking office, Schulze plans talks with Saxony's and Thuringia's Minister Presidents, Michael Kretschmer and Mario Voigt, on joint administrative structures. 'Much can be relieved without needing a state merger right away,' he emphasized, citing a mining office serving all three states as an example.
Anke Rehlinger, Saarland's Minister President (SPD), also rejected Söder's idea. If one took his logic seriously, 'Bavaria would not have existed until 1987. For 37 years, the Free State was a recipient, while the coal, energy, and industrial region of Saarland supported the economy of the entire Federal Republic,' she said.
Söder is particularly annoyed by the state financial equalization system, into which Bavaria pays billions. Until the mid-1980s, Bavaria itself received large sums and was able to carry out structural change as a result. Currently, only Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, and Hamburg are donor states.
State mergers are repeatedly discussed, but the hurdles are high: A federal law and referendums in the affected states are required. In 1996, a merger of Berlin and Brandenburg failed in a vote. The Basic Law allows reorganization to ensure that states can effectively fulfill their tasks based on size and performance capacity.
