Municipalities will soon take control over online council meetings
In a significant move towards modernizing local governance, a bill to amend municipal and district ordinances in Baden-Württemberg has been referred to committees by the state parliament. The proposed amendment aims to allow digital participation in council meetings, aligning with Germany’s digital transformation goals.
The amendment, if passed, would authorise council members to attend meetings via video or teleconferencing platforms instead of being physically present. It also includes provisions for public access, ensuring that the public can still observe or participate as allowed, enhancing transparency.
The Association of Cities has hailed this as a "turning point," with the ability of municipalities to decide, via their main charters, whether and how there will be a digital broadcast. The Association of Mayors, however, has expressed caution about the immediacy of council meetings due to the relaxation of the attendance requirement, preferring the physical meeting to be the rule.
The principle of mirroring is now in the law, requiring the composition of committees to reflect the majority ratios in the main body. This principle is expected to ensure fair representation in digital meetings as well.
The Greens, led by Swantje Sperling, have described the amendment as a "festival for the communal honorary office," while Klaus Ranger of the SPD criticizes the exclusion of connected councils in secret elections. Julia Goll (FDP) has criticized the amendment as a "solution according to the cash register," and Ulli Hockenberger prefers a two-thirds quorum for the adoption of digital rules in municipal charters.
Thomas Strobl, CDU Interior Minister, described the amendment as a "revolution," emphasizing the decision-making power of the municipality, an expression of the communal self-government as it is practiced in Baden-Württemberg. The Greens are enthusiastic about the amendment, while the CDU's enthusiasm is more restrained.
The amendment also addresses concerns around data protection and privacy, ensuring compliance with legal requirements for handling personal data during digital meetings. It also includes rules for technical implementation, specifications on the technology to be used, and voting procedures, adaptations to enable secure and verifiable electronic voting during digital meetings.
The risk of the connection breaking is largely borne by the elected official, and the decision-making power of the municipality is not affected. Councils can participate in most votes online, but not in elections, under the amendment.
The Association of Municipalities is skeptical about the relaxation of the attendance requirement and prefers the physical meeting to be the rule. AfD newcomer Sandro Scheer, however, praises the new regulation as a continuation of good experiences with digital meetings during the Corona pandemic.
The amendment does not include better reimbursement of costs for disabled representatives, a point of criticism from some quarters. As the bill progresses through the committees, it will be interesting to see how these concerns are addressed and whether the proposed amendment will indeed modernize local governance in Baden-Württemberg.
The amendment, if passed, will introduce the use of video and teleconferencing platforms for council members to attend meetings, embodying Germany’s digital transformation goals in local governance. This move is part of a broader policy-and-legislation shift aimed at improving transparency and enabling digital participation in council meetings.
The proposed changes also include provisions for technology implementation, data protection, and voting procedures, illustrating the intersection of management, technology, and politics in modernizing local governance. As the bill moves through committees and faces debates, general-news outlets will closely follow its progress and potential impact.
