At first glance, this could be understandable, but it presents the specific situation in a very one-sided way and leaves questions unanswered. It is true that the state government also examined funding opportunities, but came to the conclusion that there is no funding available from the EU, the federal government or the state that could be utilized.
However, it was agreed that this did not mean the end of the project, and the city was advised to submit a business plan in order to examine the possibilities for implementation. This was drawn up and improved again at the request of the state. As recommended, the Watenstedt industrial and development company, which was to oversee the relocation of residents and the creation of a commercial and industrial area, was also founded in February 2013.
The state-owned NBank then presented its financing offer for the first time in January 2015. There is agreement on these facts, but this is where it ends.
Neither at this point nor afterwards did the state make it clear that the project could only be realized within the debt limit. In this respect, the statements "repeatedly pointed out" or "explained again" do not correspond to the facts.
The city's budget situation was known to the state representatives during all discussions, and the city's budget has been submitted to the Ministry of the Interior as the approval authority for years. The city has made it unmistakably clear that this important project cannot be financed within the already very limited budgetary framework.
Federal and state tasks that Salzgitter, like other local authorities, has taken on are still not being reimbursed in full, contrary to the statutory provisions.
The Council resolution passed by a large majority in the summer, which was sent with an accompanying letter to the Lower Saxony State Chancellery, the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economics, Labor and Transport, the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior and Sport and the State Commissioner from the Braunschweig Regional Development Office as well as the NBank, was also formulated very clearly. No response has been received to date.
As part of the presentation of the 2016 budget, a meeting was only held on 1 March 2016 with the technical level of the municipal supervisory authority, in which it was cautiously indicated as an initial technical assessment that a separate loan authorization for an individual project could be considered problematic from a technical point of view. The city emphasized that a written response to the mayor's letter was expected.
This made the letter from the municipal supervisory authority dated 08.06.16 all the more surprising in terms of both timing and content.
And this is where the criticism comes in: It was clear from the outset that it would take a political decision by the state to push ahead with the transformation of Watenstedt. It was about supporting Salzgitter as the third-largest industrial location in our state and urban development.
It is regrettable that this blame game by the state is not only unhelpful, but is also likely to be difficult to communicate, not only to the people of Watenstedt, as those affected have been practicing patience for long enough.
Based on the words of the responsible state secretary, it can be said that Watenstedt would be feasible if the state did not take an exclusively formal legal approach to the issue, but instead sent a clear political signal.
Where is the financial support for the city of Salzgitter? There is constant talk of the state government's South-East Lower Saxony Plan to solve the structural problems in our region. In Salzgitter, the words are heard, but the deeds are not seen.
Instead, the State Chancellery, Ministry of Economic Affairs, State Commissioner and NBank are offering the city additional loan financing for the Watenstedt project, which the Ministry of the Interior and Sport subsequently problematizes!!!? On the state side, one hand does not seem to know what the other is doing in this project. And the political level is not taking responsibility.