SPD on Europe

The SPD commits to the idea of a federal European state and wants to make the Greater Region a model region for Europe. Cross-border institutions are to be strengthened and a parliament of the Greater Region created. Administrative hurdles at the borders are to be removed.

The SPD wants a united Europe as a federal state. The Greater Region should be a model for this. It includes Saarland and nearby areas in France, Luxembourg and Belgium. It would get its own parliament. Young people should also have a say.

The platform bases this on the border closures of March 2020 and on what the SPD sees as a growing renationalization of politics in Europe. It provides for participation across borders, especially for young people, and simpler cross-border rules. Cooperation is to grow in society, culture and the economy. Alongside Saarland's France Strategy, a Luxembourg Plan is to be drawn up together with the neighbors.

The SPD wants to create a health corridor along the borders in which people can use medical services on both sides at no extra cost. The European Pillar of Social Rights is to be applied more strongly in the Greater Region. National rules should no longer put cross-border commuters at a disadvantage.

The SPD wants people near the border to see doctors on both sides. This should not cost more. Good wages and social protection should apply across the whole Greater Region. People who work in the neighboring country should face no disadvantages.

As the basis of the shared labor and economic area, the platform names fair wages, compliance with collective agreements, less temporary agency work and strong social protection. To address the shortage of skilled workers, the SPD plans joint training across borders. A joint Greater Region initiative for managed immigration is added to this. The plan for the future is meant to put people at the center regardless of nationality.