SPD on Europe

The SPD wants to expand cross-border cooperation with Denmark and step it up in the Fehmarnbelt region as well. The Baltic Sea region is to become a field for joint projects, with Schleswig-Holstein as a testing ground for European integration. The focus is on training, the labor market, health care, culture, and maritime policy.

The SPD wants to work more closely with Denmark. This also applies to the area around the Fehmarnbelt. Young people should find it easier to train and work in the neighboring country. The SPD also wants more joint projects with other Baltic Sea countries.

The plan includes international vocational training and fewer hurdles in mutually recognizing occupations. Modeled on the Infocenter Padborg, a contact point for workers, commuters, and businesses is to be set up in the Fehmarnbelt region too. Commuter counseling is to grow, and social security systems are to be better coordinated. With neighbors on the North and Baltic Seas, the SPD wants to advance integrated maritime policy, from shipping safety to marine protection. Schleswig-Holstein is to become a model region for the EU's Green Deal.

The SPD wants a European social union with common rules on work, taxes, and basic social security. For Schleswig-Holstein, it calls for a dedicated Europe strategy to gain a stronger voice in Brussels and bring EU funding to the state. In its view, Europe should also be strengthened as a community of values.

The SPD wants a social Europe. Common rules for work and wages should apply across the EU. Schleswig-Holstein should get its own plan for Europe. A new office should help with applications for EU money.

The social union is meant to secure minimum standards, prevent wage and social dumping, and strengthen basic social rights. The reasoning given is that many problems can no longer be solved nationally. A central contact point is to advise on applications for EU funding; the Hanse-Office in Brussels plays an important role here. With a view to the Polish government, the SPD stresses protecting democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, including at the EU's external borders. Joint educational degrees and faster recognition of vocational qualifications are meant to ease the cross-border labor market.