Ludwig: “More Responsibility for Cities Means More Money Too”
Society
Ludwig: “More Responsibility for Cities Means More Money Too”
72nd. Austrian City Conference
(Bad Ischl/Vienna) – The 72nd Austrian City Conference was opened yesterday, Wednesday, May 31, 2023, with a press conference by Mayor Michael Ludwig, President of the Association of Cities, Vice President Mayor Klaus Schneeberger (Wiener Neustadt), Mayor Ines Schiller (Bad Ischl), and Secretary General of the Association of Cities, Thomas Weninger.
Thomas Weninger, Ines Schiller, Michael Ludwig. Copyright: Markus Wache
The press conference focused on the ongoing negotiations regarding financial equalization from 2024. Mayor Michael Ludwig emphasized: “Cities are currently facing enormous challenges, which is why the negotiations for the new financial equalization are of utmost importance to us. Specifically, we want to change the vertical distribution favoring cities and municipalities. Because it is in cities and municipalities where the immediate political responsibility lies, the approval of mayors is also the highest. Over the past years, cities have taken on more tasks and need more financial resources.”
Klaus Schneeberger, Vice President of the Association of Cities and Mayor of Wiener Neustadt, added: “The major questions of the present and the future – such as childcare, health and care, public transportation, and climate change – can only be solved through a joint effort of the federal government, states, and municipalities. That is why the current negotiations on financial equalization are so particularly important. Cities contribute to the greater good daily and do so gladly for the sake of the people. However, sustainable financing is necessary to continue to do so in the future. I am optimistic that together we will achieve a viable solution. Let’s tackle it!”
Mayor Ines Schiller of Bad Ischl spoke about the value of the City Conference in Bad Ischl and the upcoming European Capital of Culture in the next year: “The motto of the 72nd City Conference, ‘Diversity of Living Culture,’ is rightly chosen, and its value for Bad Ischl cannot be overstated. Diversity is manifested in various ways in our city and will experience another highlight with lasting impact next year as the European Capital of Culture 2024.”