In the issue of the Behörden Spiegel newsletter dated 11 July 2024, it is noted that the federal government’s proposals for the reform of the rescue service were viewed critically, including by the Deutscher Landkreistag (DLT), the Niedersächsischer Landkreistag and the NRW districts.
The main point of criticism here is that the federal government wants to dispense with the involvement of local authority umbrella organisations in the legislative process. However, it is absolutely necessary to involve the federal states and local authorities in the reform of the rescue service, as the rescue service is supported by the local authorities and is an elementary component of local authority emergency response.
Another point that is viewed critically is the planned change in the financing of emergency preparedness. The districts are also concerned about the planned inclusion in the Fifth Book of the German Social Code (SGB V). This book summarises almost all the provisions on statutory health insurance in Germany. It is argued that emergency care and rescue services are tasks of hazard prevention and should therefore not be organised according to criteria of contribution stability and economic efficiency.
You can find the article from the Behörden Spiegel newsletter here on page 2.
Text source: Behörden Spiegel 11 July 2024