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SPD Lawmakers Push for Chancellery ‘Stadtbild’ Summit as Union Rejects the Bid

The dispute now centers on competing diagnoses of city-center problems, with policy direction at stake.

Overview

  • Ten SPD Bundestag members led by Adis Ahmetovic unveiled an eight‑point plan and asked the Chancellery to convene a ‘Stadtbild’ summit with cities, municipal groups and parliamentary leaders.
  • The SPD paper frames visible urban issues as social and infrastructural, proposing measures such as outreach social work, better lighting, targeted CCTV, mobile health services and a goal to end homelessness by 2030.
  • Union parliamentary manager Steffen Bilger ruled out a summit and criticized SPD participation in anti‑Merz protests, while faction leader Jens Spahn rebuked SPD deputy Wiebke Esdar for joining a demonstration.
  • Municipal leaders pressed for concrete funding and action over symbolism, with the Deutscher Städte‑ und Gemeindebund seeking more resources and the Landkreistag calling for consistent enforcement without a summit.
  • SPD caucus chief Matthias Miersch urged a respectful, solutions‑focused debate, pointed to a planned ‘Zukunftspakt’ for municipalities and said specialist lawmakers from both sides should engage, as coalition tensions persist and a summit remains unlikely.