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Berlin's Senate Faces Criticism Over Multilingual Websites, Bicycle Boxes, and Scarf Campaign

Taxpayers question the necessity of multilingual berlin.de and bicycle boxes. Senate defends marketing efforts and civil servant salaries.

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At the bottom of the image there is a road with cars and a bus. Behind them there are buildings...
At the bottom of the image there is a road with cars and a bus. Behind them there are buildings with walls, windows, dish and roofs. And also there are posters and banners to the walls. There is a pole with streetlight.

Berlin's Senate Faces Criticism Over Multilingual Websites, Bicycle Boxes, and Scarf Campaign

Berlin's Senate faces criticism from the Federation of Taxpayers over several initiatives. The 'Black Book' highlights questionable spending, while the Federation questions the necessity and cost of multilingual information on berlin.de and the construction of bicycle boxes.

The Senate's translation function on berlin.de has been called into question. The Federation of Taxpayers argues that browser translation features make the software costs, estimated at several tens of thousands of euros, unnecessary. Senate spokeswoman Christine Richter counters that the centrally provided function ensures high quality, security, and data protection.

The Federation also criticizes a Senate campaign selling 'Berlin scarves' to raise awareness of homelessness. They argue that public and private costs exceeded sales revenue, making it a loss for taxpayers. Richter defends the project as part of the city's marketing efforts to strengthen Berliners' identity and social cohesion.

The 'Black Book' criticizes a special regulation allowing district mayors and councilors to continue receiving salaries until 2026, even if they do not remain in their positions after the February 2023 repeat election. The House of Representatives justified the regulation by stating that elected officials are appointed as civil servants for the duration of their term.

Councilor Oliver Schruoffeneger suggests that parking facilities for cyclists should be set up with public funds due to increasing cycling traffic. However, the Federation of Taxpayers questions the responsibility of the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district in building 48 bicycle boxes for rent, with operating costs not covering construction costs of 691,000 euros.

The Senate's initiatives have sparked debate and criticism from the Federation of Taxpayers. While the Senate defends its actions, the Federation argues that public funds should be used more responsibly. The 'Black Book' serves as a reminder of the importance of scrutinizing public spending.

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