Good Friday is the 72nd day before the European elections. According to the European Elections Act, the Federal Election Committee decides on this day which lists will be approved for the election on June 9. 40 parties and “other political associations” had submitted their nominations to the Federal Returning Officer by the deadline of March 18.
There are parties that submit joint lists for all federal states. These include parties that are already represented in the European Parliament, such as the SPD, Greens, FDP, AfD, Linke, Freie Wähler, ÖDP, Pirates, Family Party, Volt and Die Partei. Other groups are trying to get candidates through for the first time, for which just one percent of the votes cast could be enough due to the lack of a blocking clause: These include the Party for Conventional Medical Rejuvenation Research, the Climate List, BSW, as well as DAVA (Democratic Alliance for Diversity and Awakening), which is close to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his AKP party.
Then five parties have submitted lists for individual federal states. These include the CDU, which is running in 15 of the 16 federal states, and the CSU, which only wants to run in Bavaria, as usual. In addition, the Haie – Partei mit Biss, the GFA (Grundeinkommen für Alle) and Wir für Euch Bürgerforum want to run. Following the decision of the Federal Election Committee on Friday, it is now clear what the ballot paper will look like. Germans aged 16 and over, citizens of other member states living in Germany and Germans living abroad can vote, although they must first register on the electoral roll.
Have a great Easter weekend!
The EU directive on platform work will hardly have any changes for employees in Germany. This is the conclusion drawn by labor lawyers and industry experts in Table.Briefings after the Council adopted the political compromise without the votes of France and Germany. The FDP blocked Germany’s approval of the proposed legislation until the very end. FDP deputy leader Johannes Vogel described the planned platform rules as an “attack on all self-employed people in Europe”.
Labor law expert Eva Kocher from the European University Frankfurt/Oder cannot understand why the German government did not agree: “The existing practice in Germany already goes very far anyway. I don’t expect any comprehensive changes in practice.” Food and delivery couriers, for example, are already predominantly employed in Germany – unlike in other EU countries.
The President of the German Taxi Association, Herwig Kollar, takes a similar view: “We have very extensive regulations on bogus self-employment in Germany. I don’t expect the law to entail any significant changes.”
Even the platform economy expresses similar views. “Legislators have voted to maintain the status quo. This means that the status of platform workers will continue to be decided differently from country to country and from court to court”, says an Uber spokesperson. Uber always points out that it only works with delivery and fleet partners in Germany, “with whom the couriers and drivers are employed.”
Associations such as MoveEU, which represents Uber, Bolt and Free Now, among others, originally lobbied hard against the directive. The association had repeatedly warned: “The introduction of a rebuttable presumption of employment will lead to drivers being reclassified against their will to remain independent and to control their working hours, schedule and income.”
The Directive provides for a rebuttable presumption of employment. This is triggered if national authorities have indications that self-employed persons are employees. What these indications are is still a national matter with the new EU legislation. Originally, uniform criteria were planned. These were dropped in the trilogue negotiations under pressure from the Council. The law still has to be confirmed by the European Parliament.
Once there is a presumption of employment, the directive stipulates that the burden of proof is reversed. In the future, it will therefore be up to the platforms to prove that their contractors are self-employed and not employees. The aim of the directive is to make it easier to establish status.
However, the proposal does not envisage making all platform workers employees – even if this has been repeatedly portrayed as such by critics of the directive. According to the Commission’s assessment, only a minority of self-employed platform workers would actually have to have a permanent employment relationship – the equivalent of around one-sixth. However, as there are currently around 28 million platform workers across the EU, this group of potentially bogus self-employed digital platform workers comprises five million people.
According to the German Pension Insurance Association and other social insurance institutions, the specific impact on the situation of employees in Germany will depend on the implementation into national law. “In principle, the presumption rule does not apply to social security issues“, explains Volker Schmitt from the Brussels office of the German Social Insurance. However, even if social insurance is excluded, it cannot be ruled out that greater legal certainty in employment law and improved enforcement options for employee rights will have positive effects on social insurance.
The directive will ensure that platforms will have to disclose some of their algorithms. Schmitt considers this to be progress. One example: A parcel carrier bundles several orders on the last mile. This causes him to deviate from the route planning specified in the app. If he then receives fewer orders in the future, this may be due to a penalty imposed by the algorithm. So far, it has been almost impossible to prove this.
Employment law expert Kocher has cautious expectations of the reversal of the burden of proof: “In my observation, it’s not so much the presentation of evidence. The dispute usually revolves around how the facts and evidence are legally assessed, which is the complicated part.” This must be taken into account when implementing the reversal of the burden of proof in German law.
Some platforms are explicitly in favor of the directive. They are hoping for improvements in the fight against bogus self-employment. Just Eat Takeaway, for example, whose drivers deliver food from restaurants to people’s homes under the Lieferando label in a distinctive orange livery. “We already employ all our drivers, even in permanent direct employment with all the corresponding rights. We therefore do not expect any direct impact on our business, but we do expect a level playing field“, says the company.
The International Road Transport Union (IRU), the world association of the road transport industry, is cautiously optimistic. A spokesperson said that the directive, which has been “significantly amended” compared to the Commission’s original proposal, offers “a certain degree of protection against bogus self-employment”. The extent of the effect can only be assessed once it has been transposed into the national law of the member states.
In order to prevent bogus self-employment in the platform economy more effectively, the German Taxi Association would like to see more far-reaching measures. “The fact that companies work with numerous subcontractors and sub-subcontractors makes effective control difficult“, says President Kollar. Legislators therefore need to start earlier. “We need to think about banning subcontractors, as we did with parcel carriers. That’s the only way to get to grips with the jungle.”
In the case of Berlin, for example, the RBB recently reported that Uber, Bolt and Co. had numerous incidents of illegal employment and hundreds of unlicensed vehicles. The supervisory authority, the State Office for Citizens’ and Regulatory Affairs (LABO), even spoke of “organized crime” in the Berlin case.
When asked by Table.Briefings, Uber said that “acting in accordance with the law is a top priority for Uber”. “If our partners do not adhere to the rules and we become aware of this, we will take appropriate action, up to and including blocking them from our platform.” The company wants to further intensify its cooperation with LABO to ensure that only licensed companies and vehicles receive orders. Bolt did not respond to a request for comment.
The cab association is pursuing its own interests. It sees the sometimes cheaper competition from new ride service providers such as Uber and Bolt as a threat to its own business.
In the dispute over Western export restrictions on high technology, President Xi Jinping had strong words during his meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Beijing: “No power can stop the pace of scientific and technological development and progress in China,” Xi said according to a report by state television. The Chinese people have a right to development. Xi criticized Rutte sharply for obstructing access to Western high technology. “Decoupling and cutting off connections lead to nowhere, and cooperation is the only option,” Xi said.
The Netherlands find themselves in the crosshairs of trade tensions between China and the US. At the urging of Washington, the Dutch government has restricted the sale of machines for the production of advanced processor chips. The Dutch company ASML is the world’s only manufacturer of machines capable of producing state-of-the-art semiconductor chips using extreme ultraviolet lithography. Until the licensing issues began, China was ASML’s second-largest market after Taiwan. According to the company’s report, about 26 percent of its revenue was generated in China in 2023.
At the beginning of the year, the Dutch government began revoking ASML’s export approval for some machines to China. However, this seems insufficient for the US. According to media reports, the US government is pushing for a ban on the maintenance of machines delivered before the current sales ban. China fears that The Hague may comply with this request. The loss for Chinese chip manufacturers would be enormous. ASML machines cost well over a hundred million euros. If they are not regularly maintained, they have to be written off.
Rutte tried to soothe tensions in Beijing: The Netherlands ensure that export restrictions affecting “our semiconductor sector and companies like ASML never specifically target one country“.
However, ASML is likely to be unenthusiastic about being at the center of the US-China trade conflict. The company recently threatened to leave the Netherlands – officially stating that anti-immigration policies would limit its ability to hire talented specialists. However, the real reason is likely that the Rutte government succumbed to US pressure.
In an interview with the Dutch business newspaper FD on Tuesday, the Dutch trade minister emphasized that defending ASML’s interests was his “top” priority. ASML “is the most important company we have”, said Geoffrey van Leeuwen. At the same time, he emphasized: “We also say that the national security of ourselves and our partners takes precedence over economic interests.” On Wednesday, he met his counterpart Wang Wentao in Beijing.
Exports from the Netherlands to China have risen again at the beginning of the year – contrary to the general trend of exports from the EU. In January and February, they grew by 26.6 percent compared to the previous year, according to Chinese customs data. Whether this is solely due to EUV (extreme ultraviolet light) and DUV (deep ultraviolet light) lithography machines is unclear. However, the numbers suggest that Chinese customers bought ASML machines before more export restrictions took effect.
China is striving for rapid replacement. The most promising domestic manufacturer, Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (SMEE), still lags behind ASML despite remarkable progress. As Li Jinxiang, deputy secretary-general of the China Electronic Production Equipment Industry Association, noted last year, “Not a single chip production line in China is equipped with a lithography system made in China – most of them are only used in academic research.”
SMEE was successful exclusively in the chip packaging industry for a long time. For the assembly and packaging of chips into their final structures, lithography machines of the lower price range are required. According to data from the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) at Georgetown University, SMEE sold a handful of KrF machines between 2011 and 2014, but none between 2015 and 2019. While SMEE still advertises an ArF machine on its website, The Wire China cites several sources skeptical that these machines are likely prototypes and not commercial products.
In June 2020, Chinese media reported that a new 28-nanometer machine from SMEE would be available by the end of 2021. The state-owned Global Times called the move a “groundbreaking breakthrough for China’s semiconductor industry.” However, nothing has happened on this matter so far.
The Czech government has placed the operators of the “Voice of Europe” website on its national sanctions list directed against Russia. This was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Prague on Wednesday. The website is part of a Russian influence operation aimed at calling into question the territorial integrity, sovereignty and freedom of Ukraine. Behind it is the oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, who was charged with treason in Ukraine but ended up in Russia as part of a prisoner exchange. Medvedchuk, who is considered a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was also personally placed on the sanctions list, according to the ministry.
The decision contributes to the protection of democratic processes ahead of the European Parliament elections in June, emphasized the Foreign Ministry in Prague. The newspaper “Denik N” reported, citing secret service circles, that money in cash had also been handed over to politicians via the influence network – including politicians from Germany. Officially, no further details were given. The “Voice of Europe” news portal is available in English and German, among other languages. dpa
Melanie Kühnemann-Grunow’s heart beats for a culturally diverse capital. The 52-year-old Berlin resident from Lichtenrade is a member of the Berlin House of Representatives. There she is the spokesperson for European affairs, media, culture and city partnerships. She is also deputy chairwoman of the SPD parliamentary group and a member of the Committee of the Regions as well as a deputy member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. She aims to anchor the EU more firmly in Berlin politics.
Melanie Kühnemann-Grunow was socialized in a social democratic family. She patiently awaited her sixteenth birthday so that she could join the SPD. She studied German and history to become a teacher and then worked in the teaching profession for almost ten years. “Being a guideline for other people and giving them a start in life was a great motivation.”
In 2014, she joined the staff of the then-Senator for Labor, Integration and Women’s Issues. “It was a chance to look at the administration from the inside and to better understand the executive side. Politics and administration are closely linked.” However, it was not easy for her to give up teaching: “I still think back to it often, sometimes I miss it a little.” One thing is clear to her: “I was elected for a fixed term, and the teaching profession is always a good alternative for me.”
She has represented the Tempelhof-Schöneberg district in the Berlin House of Representatives for the SPD since 2016. There, she is particularly committed to low-threshold educational facilities and is currently working on a library law. “Cultural education is my pet issue“. The Berlin resident is in Brussels two to three times a month.
In the Committee of the Regions, she is a member of the SEDEC commission for social policy, education, employment, research and culture. The exchange with representatives from other regions in Europe shows that many problems exist across Europe, such as the lack of housing in large cities. “This suggests that we should launch European initiatives, because otherwise we will be competing with each other for raw materials for housing construction,” says Kühnemann-Grunow.
At the same time, the MP admits: “In Berlin politics, the focus is on our own areas. Europe is slipping away a little.” She is particularly concerned about the rise of the AfD as an “initially Eurosceptic, now far-right party”.
In view of the upcoming European elections, she wants to work to ensure “that the European Parliament does not become a parliament in which the enemies of Europe have a majority.” She wants to make her contribution to this by making “Europe visible in Berlin”. To this end, there is a European strategy that the House of Representatives is currently launching. “Every Senate administration and every district office should have a European representative.” Another idea: A “Europe Festival” in Berlin, in which the embassies of all member states participate.
Melanie Kühnemann-Grunow would like to convince the population “that Europe is not just a bureaucratic, administratively bloated monster, but that we all benefit from it.” Especially through funding programs such as the European Social Fund, which would also benefit Berlin immensely: “Many social institutions receive co-financing from the EU.” In order to make better use of these opportunities, the MP has a very practical wish: a “Berlin Agency” that supports applicants in acquiring EU aid.
Would she switch from Berlin to the Brussels Parliament in the future? “You should never say never, I wouldn’t rule it out. At the moment, I see my place here in Berlin.” However, she also sees how enriching the exchange at the European level is, as it broadens the perspective. Clara Baldus
Good Friday is the 72nd day before the European elections. According to the European Elections Act, the Federal Election Committee decides on this day which lists will be approved for the election on June 9. 40 parties and “other political associations” had submitted their nominations to the Federal Returning Officer by the deadline of March 18.
There are parties that submit joint lists for all federal states. These include parties that are already represented in the European Parliament, such as the SPD, Greens, FDP, AfD, Linke, Freie Wähler, ÖDP, Pirates, Family Party, Volt and Die Partei. Other groups are trying to get candidates through for the first time, for which just one percent of the votes cast could be enough due to the lack of a blocking clause: These include the Party for Conventional Medical Rejuvenation Research, the Climate List, BSW, as well as DAVA (Democratic Alliance for Diversity and Awakening), which is close to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his AKP party.
Then five parties have submitted lists for individual federal states. These include the CDU, which is running in 15 of the 16 federal states, and the CSU, which only wants to run in Bavaria, as usual. In addition, the Haie – Partei mit Biss, the GFA (Grundeinkommen für Alle) and Wir für Euch Bürgerforum want to run. Following the decision of the Federal Election Committee on Friday, it is now clear what the ballot paper will look like. Germans aged 16 and over, citizens of other member states living in Germany and Germans living abroad can vote, although they must first register on the electoral roll.
Have a great Easter weekend!
The EU directive on platform work will hardly have any changes for employees in Germany. This is the conclusion drawn by labor lawyers and industry experts in Table.Briefings after the Council adopted the political compromise without the votes of France and Germany. The FDP blocked Germany’s approval of the proposed legislation until the very end. FDP deputy leader Johannes Vogel described the planned platform rules as an “attack on all self-employed people in Europe”.
Labor law expert Eva Kocher from the European University Frankfurt/Oder cannot understand why the German government did not agree: “The existing practice in Germany already goes very far anyway. I don’t expect any comprehensive changes in practice.” Food and delivery couriers, for example, are already predominantly employed in Germany – unlike in other EU countries.
The President of the German Taxi Association, Herwig Kollar, takes a similar view: “We have very extensive regulations on bogus self-employment in Germany. I don’t expect the law to entail any significant changes.”
Even the platform economy expresses similar views. “Legislators have voted to maintain the status quo. This means that the status of platform workers will continue to be decided differently from country to country and from court to court”, says an Uber spokesperson. Uber always points out that it only works with delivery and fleet partners in Germany, “with whom the couriers and drivers are employed.”
Associations such as MoveEU, which represents Uber, Bolt and Free Now, among others, originally lobbied hard against the directive. The association had repeatedly warned: “The introduction of a rebuttable presumption of employment will lead to drivers being reclassified against their will to remain independent and to control their working hours, schedule and income.”
The Directive provides for a rebuttable presumption of employment. This is triggered if national authorities have indications that self-employed persons are employees. What these indications are is still a national matter with the new EU legislation. Originally, uniform criteria were planned. These were dropped in the trilogue negotiations under pressure from the Council. The law still has to be confirmed by the European Parliament.
Once there is a presumption of employment, the directive stipulates that the burden of proof is reversed. In the future, it will therefore be up to the platforms to prove that their contractors are self-employed and not employees. The aim of the directive is to make it easier to establish status.
However, the proposal does not envisage making all platform workers employees – even if this has been repeatedly portrayed as such by critics of the directive. According to the Commission’s assessment, only a minority of self-employed platform workers would actually have to have a permanent employment relationship – the equivalent of around one-sixth. However, as there are currently around 28 million platform workers across the EU, this group of potentially bogus self-employed digital platform workers comprises five million people.
According to the German Pension Insurance Association and other social insurance institutions, the specific impact on the situation of employees in Germany will depend on the implementation into national law. “In principle, the presumption rule does not apply to social security issues“, explains Volker Schmitt from the Brussels office of the German Social Insurance. However, even if social insurance is excluded, it cannot be ruled out that greater legal certainty in employment law and improved enforcement options for employee rights will have positive effects on social insurance.
The directive will ensure that platforms will have to disclose some of their algorithms. Schmitt considers this to be progress. One example: A parcel carrier bundles several orders on the last mile. This causes him to deviate from the route planning specified in the app. If he then receives fewer orders in the future, this may be due to a penalty imposed by the algorithm. So far, it has been almost impossible to prove this.
Employment law expert Kocher has cautious expectations of the reversal of the burden of proof: “In my observation, it’s not so much the presentation of evidence. The dispute usually revolves around how the facts and evidence are legally assessed, which is the complicated part.” This must be taken into account when implementing the reversal of the burden of proof in German law.
Some platforms are explicitly in favor of the directive. They are hoping for improvements in the fight against bogus self-employment. Just Eat Takeaway, for example, whose drivers deliver food from restaurants to people’s homes under the Lieferando label in a distinctive orange livery. “We already employ all our drivers, even in permanent direct employment with all the corresponding rights. We therefore do not expect any direct impact on our business, but we do expect a level playing field“, says the company.
The International Road Transport Union (IRU), the world association of the road transport industry, is cautiously optimistic. A spokesperson said that the directive, which has been “significantly amended” compared to the Commission’s original proposal, offers “a certain degree of protection against bogus self-employment”. The extent of the effect can only be assessed once it has been transposed into the national law of the member states.
In order to prevent bogus self-employment in the platform economy more effectively, the German Taxi Association would like to see more far-reaching measures. “The fact that companies work with numerous subcontractors and sub-subcontractors makes effective control difficult“, says President Kollar. Legislators therefore need to start earlier. “We need to think about banning subcontractors, as we did with parcel carriers. That’s the only way to get to grips with the jungle.”
In the case of Berlin, for example, the RBB recently reported that Uber, Bolt and Co. had numerous incidents of illegal employment and hundreds of unlicensed vehicles. The supervisory authority, the State Office for Citizens’ and Regulatory Affairs (LABO), even spoke of “organized crime” in the Berlin case.
When asked by Table.Briefings, Uber said that “acting in accordance with the law is a top priority for Uber”. “If our partners do not adhere to the rules and we become aware of this, we will take appropriate action, up to and including blocking them from our platform.” The company wants to further intensify its cooperation with LABO to ensure that only licensed companies and vehicles receive orders. Bolt did not respond to a request for comment.
The cab association is pursuing its own interests. It sees the sometimes cheaper competition from new ride service providers such as Uber and Bolt as a threat to its own business.
In the dispute over Western export restrictions on high technology, President Xi Jinping had strong words during his meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Beijing: “No power can stop the pace of scientific and technological development and progress in China,” Xi said according to a report by state television. The Chinese people have a right to development. Xi criticized Rutte sharply for obstructing access to Western high technology. “Decoupling and cutting off connections lead to nowhere, and cooperation is the only option,” Xi said.
The Netherlands find themselves in the crosshairs of trade tensions between China and the US. At the urging of Washington, the Dutch government has restricted the sale of machines for the production of advanced processor chips. The Dutch company ASML is the world’s only manufacturer of machines capable of producing state-of-the-art semiconductor chips using extreme ultraviolet lithography. Until the licensing issues began, China was ASML’s second-largest market after Taiwan. According to the company’s report, about 26 percent of its revenue was generated in China in 2023.
At the beginning of the year, the Dutch government began revoking ASML’s export approval for some machines to China. However, this seems insufficient for the US. According to media reports, the US government is pushing for a ban on the maintenance of machines delivered before the current sales ban. China fears that The Hague may comply with this request. The loss for Chinese chip manufacturers would be enormous. ASML machines cost well over a hundred million euros. If they are not regularly maintained, they have to be written off.
Rutte tried to soothe tensions in Beijing: The Netherlands ensure that export restrictions affecting “our semiconductor sector and companies like ASML never specifically target one country“.
However, ASML is likely to be unenthusiastic about being at the center of the US-China trade conflict. The company recently threatened to leave the Netherlands – officially stating that anti-immigration policies would limit its ability to hire talented specialists. However, the real reason is likely that the Rutte government succumbed to US pressure.
In an interview with the Dutch business newspaper FD on Tuesday, the Dutch trade minister emphasized that defending ASML’s interests was his “top” priority. ASML “is the most important company we have”, said Geoffrey van Leeuwen. At the same time, he emphasized: “We also say that the national security of ourselves and our partners takes precedence over economic interests.” On Wednesday, he met his counterpart Wang Wentao in Beijing.
Exports from the Netherlands to China have risen again at the beginning of the year – contrary to the general trend of exports from the EU. In January and February, they grew by 26.6 percent compared to the previous year, according to Chinese customs data. Whether this is solely due to EUV (extreme ultraviolet light) and DUV (deep ultraviolet light) lithography machines is unclear. However, the numbers suggest that Chinese customers bought ASML machines before more export restrictions took effect.
China is striving for rapid replacement. The most promising domestic manufacturer, Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (SMEE), still lags behind ASML despite remarkable progress. As Li Jinxiang, deputy secretary-general of the China Electronic Production Equipment Industry Association, noted last year, “Not a single chip production line in China is equipped with a lithography system made in China – most of them are only used in academic research.”
SMEE was successful exclusively in the chip packaging industry for a long time. For the assembly and packaging of chips into their final structures, lithography machines of the lower price range are required. According to data from the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) at Georgetown University, SMEE sold a handful of KrF machines between 2011 and 2014, but none between 2015 and 2019. While SMEE still advertises an ArF machine on its website, The Wire China cites several sources skeptical that these machines are likely prototypes and not commercial products.
In June 2020, Chinese media reported that a new 28-nanometer machine from SMEE would be available by the end of 2021. The state-owned Global Times called the move a “groundbreaking breakthrough for China’s semiconductor industry.” However, nothing has happened on this matter so far.
The Czech government has placed the operators of the “Voice of Europe” website on its national sanctions list directed against Russia. This was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Prague on Wednesday. The website is part of a Russian influence operation aimed at calling into question the territorial integrity, sovereignty and freedom of Ukraine. Behind it is the oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, who was charged with treason in Ukraine but ended up in Russia as part of a prisoner exchange. Medvedchuk, who is considered a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was also personally placed on the sanctions list, according to the ministry.
The decision contributes to the protection of democratic processes ahead of the European Parliament elections in June, emphasized the Foreign Ministry in Prague. The newspaper “Denik N” reported, citing secret service circles, that money in cash had also been handed over to politicians via the influence network – including politicians from Germany. Officially, no further details were given. The “Voice of Europe” news portal is available in English and German, among other languages. dpa
Melanie Kühnemann-Grunow’s heart beats for a culturally diverse capital. The 52-year-old Berlin resident from Lichtenrade is a member of the Berlin House of Representatives. There she is the spokesperson for European affairs, media, culture and city partnerships. She is also deputy chairwoman of the SPD parliamentary group and a member of the Committee of the Regions as well as a deputy member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. She aims to anchor the EU more firmly in Berlin politics.
Melanie Kühnemann-Grunow was socialized in a social democratic family. She patiently awaited her sixteenth birthday so that she could join the SPD. She studied German and history to become a teacher and then worked in the teaching profession for almost ten years. “Being a guideline for other people and giving them a start in life was a great motivation.”
In 2014, she joined the staff of the then-Senator for Labor, Integration and Women’s Issues. “It was a chance to look at the administration from the inside and to better understand the executive side. Politics and administration are closely linked.” However, it was not easy for her to give up teaching: “I still think back to it often, sometimes I miss it a little.” One thing is clear to her: “I was elected for a fixed term, and the teaching profession is always a good alternative for me.”
She has represented the Tempelhof-Schöneberg district in the Berlin House of Representatives for the SPD since 2016. There, she is particularly committed to low-threshold educational facilities and is currently working on a library law. “Cultural education is my pet issue“. The Berlin resident is in Brussels two to three times a month.
In the Committee of the Regions, she is a member of the SEDEC commission for social policy, education, employment, research and culture. The exchange with representatives from other regions in Europe shows that many problems exist across Europe, such as the lack of housing in large cities. “This suggests that we should launch European initiatives, because otherwise we will be competing with each other for raw materials for housing construction,” says Kühnemann-Grunow.
At the same time, the MP admits: “In Berlin politics, the focus is on our own areas. Europe is slipping away a little.” She is particularly concerned about the rise of the AfD as an “initially Eurosceptic, now far-right party”.
In view of the upcoming European elections, she wants to work to ensure “that the European Parliament does not become a parliament in which the enemies of Europe have a majority.” She wants to make her contribution to this by making “Europe visible in Berlin”. To this end, there is a European strategy that the House of Representatives is currently launching. “Every Senate administration and every district office should have a European representative.” Another idea: A “Europe Festival” in Berlin, in which the embassies of all member states participate.
Melanie Kühnemann-Grunow would like to convince the population “that Europe is not just a bureaucratic, administratively bloated monster, but that we all benefit from it.” Especially through funding programs such as the European Social Fund, which would also benefit Berlin immensely: “Many social institutions receive co-financing from the EU.” In order to make better use of these opportunities, the MP has a very practical wish: a “Berlin Agency” that supports applicants in acquiring EU aid.
Would she switch from Berlin to the Brussels Parliament in the future? “You should never say never, I wouldn’t rule it out. At the moment, I see my place here in Berlin.” However, she also sees how enriching the exchange at the European level is, as it broadens the perspective. Clara Baldus
