Opera house in Bonn am Rhein, via dts news agency
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Bonn/Berlin (dts news agency) – In view of the horrendous travel costs, several Union politicians are calling for all federal institutions to be concentrated in Berlin and for the Bonn location to be closed 30 years after the Bonn-Berlin Act was passed in 1994.
Brandenburg’s CDU state chairman Jan Redmann told the “Bild” (Friday edition): “I have no understanding for this circus. If the capacity in Berlin is not sufficient – Brandenburg can offer sufficient space for branch offices of the ministries at short notice. This could save millions in spending on flights .”
CDU executive board member Ronja Kemmer agreed with Redmann: “There are billions of dollars in holes in the budget, but the idea of putting your own spending to the test doesn’t come up. While consumers and farmers are being asked to pay, the plans for cultivation are going ahead The Chancellery and the Bonn-Berlin traveling circus continue happily. In these times, politicians should set a good example and take the lead on such projects.”
The Hamburg CDU politician Christoph Ploß also said, with a view to the anniversary of the adoption of the Bonn-Berlin law in April: “After 30 years, it is time to let this regulation expire. Before the traffic light cuts farmers’ and parents’ benefits , the government has to save on itself.”
The President of the Taxpayers’ Association, Reiner Holznagel, welcomed the new demands: “The traditional Berlin-Bonn law must be abolished,” he told “Bild”. “The legal requirement that the ministries should have more jobs in the Bonn region has not been practiced by politicians for many years. Politicians must face this reality and declare Berlin the only seat of government. This is not just a matter of common sense, but also in the sense of careful use of tax money. If all ministries have their headquarters in Berlin, expensive losses of working time, travel costs, duplicate structures and unnecessary administrative effort will no longer be necessary.”
Meanwhile, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister for Federal and European Affairs, Nathanael Liminski (CDU), defended the current plans for further additional measures to upgrade the Bonn location to “Bild”: “The negotiations on the additional agreement are not about compensation for the Government relocation, that was done with the Bonn-Berlin Act. It’s about making even greater use of Bonn’s added value for the whole of Germany. Bonn is not only a UN location, but enjoys an international reputation as a conference location and competence cluster for cybersecurity , Environment, Climate and Development.”
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