"At the EU summit in mid-July, the necessary solidarity was unfortunately lacking in some cases, and there were closed borders and entry bans - the EU members acted quickly as nation states and without consultation with the others," said District Administrator Allgaier in his opening remarks.
Minister Wolf picked up on this in his keynote speech and said: "The coronavirus shows how important it is to stand together as Europe, to pull together, to build community across national borders and to draw the right conclusions from the crisis." One of these correct conclusions is encounters - encounters such as the recent delegation trip from the district of Ludwigsburg, led by District Administrator Allgaier, to the friendly province of Bergamo, which was hit particularly hard by the pandemic until the summer. The local authorities in particular would play an important role in overcoming the crisis with an effective local administration, for example in distributing protective equipment. Wolf called for a renaissance of town twinning. The collapse of supply chains had shown how much cooperation was needed. It is important that the internal market functions and that investments are made in research and technology. However, the financial framework must be linked to the rule of law so that there is no cherry-picking. Wolf also spoke about digitalization: "It is important that we emerge from the crisis more digitally than we entered it." When it comes to climate protection, Europe is called upon to find solutions that can be emulated. Ecology and economy are mutual prerequisites. "For a common Europe, we should put what unites us above what divides us - only together can we be competitive and defend our model for peace, freedom and prosperity. Let us take the crisis as an opportunity for a new start with vigor," Wolf concluded.
In the panel discussion that followed, Consul General Krumrei described how he was confronted with the crisis. The images from Bergamo were "a signal of shock". The Consulate General, Krumrei reported, was an observation post. "We had the task of surveying the epidemic," said Krumrei. Above all, however, the Consulate General was the point of contact for all German compatriots who were in northern Italy when the crisis broke out.
Minister Wolf regretted that it had only been possible to admit seriously ill patients from France and Italy to German clinics, or to offer to do so, with a time delay. In future, this should be better discussed with the European neighbors, as they should not be offended in such situations. In this context, Barzanò reported on the importance of compassion and solidarity in a serious crisis situation such as the one in the province of Bergamo. "We received both from the Ludwigsburg district - and we won't forget that. The offer to treat seriously ill COVID-19 patients from Bergamo at Ludwigsburg Hospital was much more important than the actual help, which was ultimately not needed - we are grateful for this, as well as for the establishment of a unique COVID-19 laboratory with the help of Porsche Consulting, which can analyze up to 5,000 samples a day." Krumrei called for a structure to be created for crises: "There is an economic and human togetherness, but not yet an administrative one," he noted. Nevertheless, there is "a basic framework of European cooperation that is not up for discussion", emphasized Wolf. When asked how young people perceive Europe, Barzanò replied that he perceives two types of young people: those who see Europe as the only solution for the future and those who would return to nationalist thinking due to a lack of knowledge of history.
The panel participants agreed that Europe would emerge stronger from the crisis. Krumrei cited the EU aid package as proof of this, "with which Europe is on the right track now that everyone is aware of what the time has come". However, "friendship with heart" between the EU member states, especially between Germany and Italy, was also important. Barzanò emphasized the importance of good personal relations at the highest political level. This was already evident when the EU was founded. Friendships between heads of state would develop into friendships between states. The virus, because it affects everyone equally, has shown the potential of standing together, said Wolf.
In his closing remarks, District Administrator Allgaier stated that "we had an informative and interesting evening". He once again recalled the delegation's visit to the province of Bergamo, during which a declaration of intent was signed to turn the existing friendship between the district of Ludwigsburg and the province of Bergamo into a partnership and to tackle joint projects in the areas of education, healthcare, culture and business. "I am also optimistic that we will emerge stronger from the crisis - at European level, but also at local level," said Allgaier.
Prior to the European event, the general meeting of the Ludwigsburg district association of Europa-Union Deutschland e.V. took place. Markus Kleemann, Mayor of the municipality of Oberstenfeld, was elected as the new Chairman. He succeeds former District Administrator Dr. Rainer Haas, who did not stand for re-election. Haas has already championed the European idea in many ways in the past. He was awarded the gold badge of honor by the association for his services. District Administrator Dietmar Allgaier was elected first deputy chairman of the district association. He would like to pursue and support the district's commitment to Europe. Kleemann's other deputies are Fabian Gramling, member of the state parliament, Alexander Holder, former state chairman of the Young Europeans, and Inge Köngeter.
