fair solutions for today and tomorrow - Our Framework for Municipal Elections 2023

Our Framework for the Municipal Elections 2023 is based on the slogan  fair solutions for today and tomorrow.

Improving Citizen Participation and Transparency

Since their inception, the Pirates have been committed to a more participatory democracy. Politics should be closer to citizens, and the population should finally be able to engage in discussions with political decision-makers. Many people have ideas they would like to share, but often they don’t know how, or they don’t want to be active in a political party. The Pirate Party wants to give people the opportunity to contribute actively to community life through other means.

For a Citizen Council

To bring citizens together and give them an official platform to implement their ideas, the idea of a Citizen Council is proposed. This Citizen Council must be randomly composed and represent the population of the municipality. Part of the Citizen Council could be directly elected by the municipality. Half of the Citizen Council will be renewed every three years. The mandate in the Citizen Council will be incompatible with a mandate in the Municipal Council and a mandate in advisory committees.

The Citizen Council should be able to work autonomously and make proposals to the Municipal Council, to which political decision-makers must respond. The Citizen Council should also receive a budget from the Municipal Council to cover the organization of the council (secretary, etc.) and be able to carry out its own projects.

Citizen Assemblies and Public Question Hours

The Pirates want active exchange and discussion with citizens. The municipality should organize citizen meetings at least twice a year, where citizens and municipal officials can meet and discuss ideas, problems, and grievances. At these citizen assemblies, political leaders must present their plans and organize public question hours, during which citizens can express their opinions, ask questions, and submit proposals.

Public meetings of the Municipal Council

The Municipal Council is the most important body of local politics. Here, the most important decisions for the inhabitants of the municipality are made. Through more transparency and better access to information within the Municipal Council, we ensure greater citizen participation. This strengthens our democracy.

The Pirates demand:

  • proactive transparency of Municipal Council meetings. The schedule of meetings, the agenda, and all related documents must be fully published and available online at least one week in advance.
  • direct online broadcasting. The Municipal Council must broadcast its meetings, then publish them on the municipality’s website, record them, and keep them accessible to all.

More Transparency in the College of Aldermen

The College of Aldermen must make the minutes of its meetings public so that the Municipal Council can exercise its control function.

Transparent Advisory Committee Meetings

Various laws stipulate that a municipality must have advisory committees to discuss various political subjects (e.g., the school committee). These committees deal with concrete political and administrative projects, and as a result, citizens must also be informed about what is being discussed.

The Pirates demand that:

  • all committees become fully public. The agenda and all related documents must be fully published online the day before the meeting. The minutes of the committee meetings must be published online, and the committee’s vote must be binding.
  • the sessions are also broadcasted.
  • the building committee, which deals with building permits in the municipality, must receive information on who the builder and promoter of a project are to be able to perform its control function properly.

More Referendums at the Municipal Level

The Pirates believe that in the case of important issues, projects, or large budgetary questions in a municipality, citizens must be heard and have the right to make decisions themselves.

The Pirates will allow more participation:

  • by organizing more citizen petitions or referendums.
  • by relaxing the rules for referendums: if enough inhabitants of a municipality sign a request, the subject must be on the agenda of the Municipal Council, in the presence of the authors.

Participatory budgeting

Participatory budgeting involves creating an opportunity for citizens to have a say in public spending. Specifically, a percentage of the municipal budget should be made available for participatory budgeting. Residents can then decide, through a transparent process, where these funds should be invested. Citizen’s participants and local professional associations should participate in this process. To date, more than 4,000 municipalities in Europe have already implemented this form of citizen participation.

Municipal mergers

The Pirates are in favor of municipal mergers. Mergers allow for better use of resources and merging municipalities can better plan for larger projects. The decision to merge municipalities should be a decision of the citizens. Therefore, it is clear to the Pirates that the decision to merge should be made by referendum.

Easy access to documents

Any form should be accessible in the 3 official languages of the country in the municipality without barriers. Forms should be accessible in the municipality offices as well as on the website. Documents should also be accessible for people with visual or hearing impairments.

Transparency in trade unions and municipal enterprises

Any organization in which a municipality is represented must make its reports, documents, and meetings public in the same way as the municipality itself. If a municipality collaborates with private companies on projects, then these companies serve the citizens, as tax money is being spent. Municipal unions fall under municipal law, but, neither the public nor the opposition within the municipal council are informed about what is discussed and decided there. The Pirates want the rules that apply to the municipality to also be respected by municipal unions.

Communicate and inform

The municipality’s website should be the place where citizens can find all information about the municipality’s life, where associations can advertise events, and where information about the municipality’s life is shared. The website should enable an exchange with citizens and organizations, for example by introducing a form or public forum where citizens can deposit municipal problems.

Promote open source

Every year, municipalities spend hundreds of thousands of euros on software licenses, although in many cases, there are cheaper and equivalent alternatives. A lot of money could be saved by relying on open-source programs, where the program can be adapted to the administration’s needs. The Pirates are committed to a national solution developed by the Ministry of the Interior instead of relying on a municipal union, such as the SIGI.

Open Data

Municipalities must make publicly funded data public and accessible. Above all, it is not enough to digitize documents and put them on the website in PDF format (such as the municipal budget), but the data must be machine-readable, as this is the only way to do an analysis. Data must be made available in open format on data.public.lu.

Protecting the environment, nature, and climate

Policies at the expense of climate and nature must stop. Our society cannot continue to live at the expense of nature, but a new policy must set the framework to create an economy that lives in harmony with our planet’s resources. Municipalities must fulfil their responsibilities. The Pirates are working for municipal policy to recognize the climate and biodiversity crisis and take responsibility for nature and the environment. Each municipality must identify its ecological footprint and develop a plan with concrete measures to reduce it.

Waste belongs in the trash, not on the ground!

Cigarette butts, cigars, chewing gum, or paper do not belong on the ground. A single cigarette butt can potentially contaminate one cubic meter of water.

The Pirates will work to ensure that:

  • cigarette butt collection bins (Mégo-Bacs) are set up in municipalities so that they do not end up in nature or landfills.
  • municipalities have sufficient waste bins that are regularly emptied.

•       there are more bins in public places for sorting (at least the plastic should be able to be disposed of separately).

  • people who throw waste on the ground are better controlled and punished.

Protect forests

Many municipalities are fortunate to have beautiful forests that people can use as a recreational area, which increases the quality of life in the community. At the same time, the forest is important for maintaining environmental balance and protecting species. The Pirates are committed to protecting the forests. Above all, Natura2000 areas must be preserved and can no longer be reclassified. There must always be a buffer zone between natural areas and built-up areas, to allow flora and fauna to have their place of refuge.

Less concrete, more nature

The massive concreting of public squares must stop. Avoiding concrete prevents flooding and high temperatures in the summer. Large surface car parks should be covered with alternatives, such as grass grates, gravel, mulch or grouin, although this involves a little more maintenance work. Even schoolyards should once again become a place where children can get to know nature and where innovative educational projects could be carried out.

Real nature instead of ornamental plants

The Pirates want real nature instead of artificial ornamental plants, trees and flowers isolated in the streets of our communes. Communal horticulture should therefore rely more on wild nature and native plants. Growing plants wild requires less maintenance, promotes biodiversity and ultimately costs less to the taxpayer.

Energy neutral municipalities

In the long term, the Pirates want to make each municipality energy neutral. This means that a municipality produces as much energy as it consumes. To reach this point, it is worth developing renewable energies. Renewable energies are local energies that benefit the municipality and its citizens. As far as possible, municipal buildings and car parks should be equipped with photovoltaic systems and heat pumps.

Massive expansion of photovoltaic units

Building regulations in municipalities should stipulate that every new house must have photovoltaic panels on the roof. In the case of existing buildings where such an installation makes sense, the municipality should actively approach owners to participate in the program. The administrative procedures must be taken care of by the municipality as far as possible.

The municipality can also take charge of the pre-financing of photovoltaic panels, by renting the roof of a building for a symbolic euro and repaying the loan by selling electricity. Once the loan is repaid, the facility becomes the property of the building owner.

Without charging stations, no electric cars

We need a good charging network to make electromobility more attractive. In collaboration with the State, the municipality must ensure that the power lines are reinforced so that charging stations can be installed everywhere in a municipality. When the performance of the network is not sufficient, the charging stations must be activated via separate electricity production (e.g., photovoltaic panels on the roofs of car parks).

Taking new paths in energy production

The Pirates support the use of new energy production technologies, as long as the energy sources are sustainable and usable in an unlimited way, which is the case of wind, sun or water. In the long term, we all benefit from the use of these energies, because they can be used without limits and produce no waste.

The Pirates are ready to take new paths. All possible energy sources should be used to make energy production as efficient as possible. In addition to conventional wind turbines, energy can also be produced via smaller propellers or vertical wind power plants (Satonius rotors) on busy roads. These vertical wind turbines can generate electricity without rotor blades and are perfect for generating power in the city or in the countryside, where they are not a hazard to birds.

To use the energy of water, we must resort to sewage plants where the flow rate make this feasible. Geothermal energy, i.e., the extraction of heat from deep layers of the ground, should also be used and encouraged where possible.

Use water wisely

Water is an essential resource for survival and therefore we must use it sparingly. We Pirates are of the opinion that the price of water should be charged based on consumption. Someone who uses more water should also pay more. Rainwater must be collected and used in public buildings of the municipality. Rainwater tanks can be installed in public places. Its reservoirs can then be used during summer droughts to water the plants of the commune.

Beautiful playgrounds respecting nature

Our children need places where they can climb and play. Playgrounds can be built in synergy with nature and must be accessible for small children, babies, and children with special needs. The water games must work mainly with collected rainwater and not with drinking water. A water dispenser should be installed next to each playground or public sports field, so that children and their companions can drink water.

Infrastructure in public hands

Basic infrastructure and services, such as• pipes for drinking water,• wastewater and rainwater,• lines for electricity, telecommunications, and district heating,• the road networks,• and waste and recycling managementwill not be privatized with the Pirates, but will remain in the hands of the State, the municipalities, or the municipal unions. This ensures that the infrastructure serves the long-term public interest.

Strengthen the quality of life in the municipalities

Pirates want to strengthen village life and the sense of belonging in our cities and neighborhoods. It is therefore necessary to ensure that a maximum number of people can take part in community life. The municipality must therefore provide the necessary services and infrastructure.

The investments of the municipality must be for the benefit of everyone

Public sports grounds and buildings, financed by taxes, must be accessible to the public and not just to a few selected associations. A municipality that co-finances the stands of a football club must guarantee that this infrastructure can also be used by other associations or citizens. The municipality could thus provide more infrastructure so that people can come together to have a good time.

Support local associations

Local associations are the soul of a community. Here, people from different origins come together to have a good time together or to help each other. Each municipality must support its associations, including financially. Subsidies to associations must be distributed according to fair criteria.

More events

Larger municipalities should organize festivals and fairs several times a year, especially during the summer months, in collaboration with local entrepreneurs and associations. The streets must also be used to allow temporary terraces or sales stalls and thus allow more space for local businesses and community life on our streets.

A community at the service of the citizen

It must be possible for the inhabitants to do their administrative work in the municipality outside the traditional office hours, so that people do not need to take additional holidays to do administrative work. Either by making the opening hours of the counters in the municipalities more flexible, or by providing as many administrative procedures as possible digitally.

Historic buildings come to life

Historic buildings are part of the landscape of a municipality, they tell and inform about the history of a locality. Buildings, for example stations that are no longer in use, must not remain empty, but be filled with life again by renovating them, so that municipal services, associations, or local shops can settle there.

Better integration of newcomers

New residents must be actively integrated into community life. One idea is to organize a welcome day once a year for all new citizens. Citizens must also be informed immediately when they register in the municipality that they can register on the municipal electoral lists.

Language courses for all

I can better integrate into a community if I know how to speak the language. A greater number of citizens who speak the same language implies a better exchange and improves community life. Each large municipality must therefore offer Luxembourgish courses, in order to give our non-Luxembourgish fellow citizens, the possibility of better integrating into our municipalities.

A citizen representative for each municipality and neighborhood

A person in charge of relations with citizens must be the trusted person of the inhabitants in a municipality. This representative of the citizens must actively welcome new residents and explain to them the offers and infrastructures in the municipality (who, what, where, when). As a jovial person who knows every citizen of the neighborhood, the person must also mediate in the event of minor differences of opinion and thus make cohabitation in the neighborhood more pleasant and dignified.

Integration delegate

Each municipality must appoint at least one person exercising the function of integration delegate for the municipal service or within the municipal council. This person should oversee sensitizing and training civil servants and municipal employees in terms of living together.

Disability delegate

Each municipality must appoint at least one person in a service or in the municipal council who is a delegate for people with disabilities. This person should be responsible for raising awareness and training civil servants and employees on cohabitation.

Accessible services for seniors and people with disabilities

Digitization poses problems for part of the population. The Pirates are committed to digital inclusion and want to involve everyone so that they too can benefit from the advantages of the internet. However, this will not happen overnight and so we must think about the people who cannot benefit from the internet and digital knowledge. More and more post offices and banks are closing, and some people then miss the point of contact.The municipality should intervene in collaboration with the private sector to establish services where people can go physically. One idea is the organization of a mobile counter that travels to a different city every day and is in a central place where people can then find a physical contact.

Retain physical money

The Pirates remain in favor of keeping cash as it is the anonymous mode of payment. Municipal services must maintain the possibility of paying bills and taxes by cash at the municipal counter.

Internet for everyone and everywhere (Free-WIFI)

The Pirates are committed to ensuring that free Wi-Fi is available in public places and buildings for residents.

Live well

The Pirates require that in each new district, a mix between housing, work, and living together must be ensured. New residential buildings must be multifunctional and immediately equipped with nurseries, medical practices, shops, or offices. Every new neighborhood should have a small park where children can play, and adults have a place to meet.

See our border municipalities as European municipalities

Border municipalities should collaborate with their neighboring municipalities on community projects, whether in the transport sector, housing or to build public infrastructure that is available to residents of both municipalities.A municipality which, for example, does not have sufficient space for a new sports hall, could check with its neighboring municipality whether the sports hall could not be built on the other side and be co-financed. These projects can be carried out using pooled funds.With such projects, we strengthen European cohesion in the Greater Region. With current construction prices, this could even be a cheaper alternative for Luxembourg municipalities compared to constructions in the country. In the long term, the running costs of the infrastructure could also be shared and connections and relations with our neighbors in the Greater Region would improve.

Living in Luxembourg - making it a real possibility again

The housing crisis cannot be solved at the national level alone, but the municipalities must also do everything possible to help their inhabitants to continue to live in our country. Municipalities will have to make even greater efforts to offer their citizens a roof over their heads.

Municipalities must create more housing (10€/m2)

The municipalities themselves must become much more active on the housing market by mobilizing, servicing, and developing their building stock. Municipalities with financial room for maneuver should buy building land in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing, to build or have housing built there.

Public apartments remain in public hands

Any apartment belonging to the municipality should no longer be allowed to leave public property! All common land should be used to create social or affordable housing. Either the municipality rents the apartment itself with the possibility of rental-purchase, or the apartment is rented out through an organization (Social Rental Management). In the event of the sale of affordable apartments, the municipality must, without exception, use its right of first refusal on these apartments.

Rent and sell public housing according to clear criteria

We have a housing shortage, and there is not enough housing that can be built in the short term to meet current demand. Housing is a precious commodity and therefore priorities must be established when allocating social housing. Therefore, a transparent points system should be set up, in which residents, former residents as well as people working in a municipality have priority during municipal projects.Example: In a tender, the years during which a person has lived, worked, or attended school in a municipality must be examined. In the event of a tie between the candidates, other criteria (children, volunteering in the community, income, etc.) must be considered.

Activate rent-to-own

The Pirates want as many people as possible to buy their own home, so they can save capital over time. Municipalities can therefore offer the possibility of renting with an option to buy.1. When the rental contract is signed between the municipality and the tenant, the value of the property is indicated in the contract.2. Each month that a tenant pays their rent, they receive a credit note.3. If the tenant wants to buy the apartment, he pays the remaining amount of the value of the apartment deducted by the rents already paid.4. Of course, the community retains the right of first refusal.

Social housing

Housing is a basic need that defines a life. A house is an opportunity for people to build a life in a stable environment. Help is needed for the homeless, people who want to escape violence, protection seekers or people who have been incarcerated and all need a second chance at their lives. Municipalities must therefore provide at least one housing unit for social housing in each large housing project, to help these people.

Planning housing and infrastructure together

Each municipality must draw up a ten-year plan for the construction of housing, in which, in addition to housing, it is also examines what infrastructure is necessary for the residents. If 100 people will live in a new district, it is also necessary to reserve spaces for medical practices, nurseries, shops, or offices. Speaking of offices: municipalities should find out about office space that could potentially be converted into housing.

Systematically use the right of first refusal

The legislation in force provides that municipalities can ensure a right of pre-emption when a piece of land or a building is sold and is in the public interest. The Pirates will use the option of the right of first refusal, if the purchase results in projects with social housing or important infrastructures (police office, medical offices, nurseries, schools, etc.).

Enable new forms of housing

The building regulations in the municipalities must be adapted to the current state of technology and allow new forms of construction. New forms of energy renovation (for example by extending the outer envelope of a building) must be allowed. The Pirates are open to all new forms of housing, technologies, and rental models, if they are technically feasible and make sense on site. Examples: Tiny Houses, Tiny Apartments, Modular Buildings, etc. Where it makes sense, especially in new neighborhoods, higher buildings should be built.

Improve low quality housing

While every home matters, we will not accept prison-like housing conditions. Municipalities must ensure a minimum quality of life in housing. This includes the number of square meters per person, natural light and access to functioning infrastructure and services.

No luxury villas, but more moderate houses for everyone

All building land must be used efficiently, so that as many homes as possible can be built and so that more people can benefit from a piece of land. Therefore, the densities in the land use plan (PAG) should be reviewed, so that they are more densely built-in different places. Each municipality should provide a minimum number of dwellings per plot of land, and, in principle, no more plots of land should be used for villas.

Prevent perimeter extensions

There are enough construction areas in the country, which could be mobilized before digging into the nature reserve. We can only approve perimeter extensions if no other land is available in the municipality. In the case of perimeter extensions, the land must be used mainly as affordable living space. The rest of the land should be used for new infrastructure and services.

Building a healthy local economy

The municipality should be a responsible consumer

Municipalities themselves must set a good example when purchasing food, drink and equipment for their services and structures (e.g., in relay houses). When it is tax money that is spent, whenever the opportunity arises, the municipality must buy products from organic, regional, seasonal, and fair manufacturing processes. The municipality should use labels such as Fairtrade or the EU organic seal when purchasing.

Guarantee local supply in the villages

For localities without local supply structures managed by the private sector, the municipalities concerned should, if they have the necessary financial means, take care of this supply by creating and ensuring the management of sustainable stores (Secondhand shops, grocery stores social, Cent shops, etc.). To do this, the municipality does not necessarily have to play the role of a real estate agent or rent premises itself, but it can authorize or set up, without great expense, mobile shops, and small points of sale where the local farmer or horticulturist can sell their products.

Industrial zones for crafts and regional products

Industry and crafts are important for the economic development of the country, but within certain limits. Municipalities should not seek to attract activities that do not make sense in certain places, simply because they generate too much dirt, traffic, or noise. Municipalities should instead adopt aregional approach, which allows them to cooperate with other municipalities for the management of activity zones and the sharing of the corresponding revenue.

Shared Hubs

Each municipality can take advantage of its geographical location to attract suitable activities to its territory. Municipalities can, for example, set up common office spaces (Shared Hubs) so that residents and cross-border workers do not have to go to town for work. In this way, traffic would be reduced, and local trade strengthened, as more people could consume locally.

Farming on my doorstep

The Pirates would like farming to be closer to people again. As far as the cultivation of fruits, vegetables and legumes is concerned, there is no shortage of avenues, for example by promoting community gardens and communal orchards. The municipality can also plant fruit trees (apples, pears) in its parks.

Responsible finances

The Pirates rely on a responsible budgetary policy and municipal officials cannot spend more than what is in the fund. The municipality should not go into debt, except if it is a question of financing infrastructures likely to benefit the community in the long term and which are sustainable. It should not go into debt to finance prestigious monuments.

Supervise the economic activities of the municipality

A municipality is not a business and should not try to compete with the private market if it is not in the public interest. Communal expenditure must bring a solution to the problems of the inhabitants which cannot be regulated on the free market. The municipality must intervene as a priority in areas where the market has failed and left people in the lurch, for example around housing or in the presence of basic infrastructure and services.

A healthy approach to growth

Quantitative economic growth certainly brings more income and tax receipts to the municipality, but, on the other hand, growth also increases the need for personnel, generates more traffic on our roads and worsens the situation on the housing market. Therefore, municipalities must adopt a healthy and thoughtful attitude towards growth and address the issue of their infrastructure projects within the framework of a global and inter-municipal approach.

Improving people's mobility

Set up car-free neighborhoods and Shared Spaces

To improve the quality of life in existing residential neighborhoods, we propose to gradually remove the sidewalks and make these neighborhoods true “Shared Spaces”, where all users share the space. This approach contributes to improving the aesthetics of our neighborhoods, to facilitating soft mobility or strolling in strollers, to ensuring that people take ownership of the roads again and that children can play in the street as before.To get as many cars off the road as possible, every new housing construction project should provide at least one parking space per household inside the building itself. This parking must be clearly assigned to the housing unit in question so that the inhabitants can really benefit from it. New neighborhoods should be designed and laid out so that it is easy to get from A to B on foot.

Develop public transport

The public transport offer (CFL, RGTR, Tram) varies depending on where you live in our country. Municipalities can contribute to improving this offer. To save resources, they should pool their efforts, following the example of the TICE, to set up inter-municipal, or even inter-cantonal bus lines, and by supplementing the offer in relation to the RGTR. Bus stops should be adapted to meet the requirements of disabled people and covered, so that users are not exposed to the weather.

Clean school transport

School transport is organized by the municipalities. Depending on the municipality, the number of buses in service can be high, especially during peak hours. To reduce the CO2 balance and the emission of exhaust gases, we would like municipalities to rely on climate-neutral electric buses.

Make soft mobility more enjoyable

Anyone who travels by bike or on foot should be rewarded and find themselves faced with an offer of infrastructure and adapted mobility. The municipality can, for example, promote and subsidize the Pedibus system in each district in order to simplify the way to school for children and their parents. The sidewalks must be clean and well maintained, also along secondary roads. Next to that, people need cycle lanes on the main axes, well separated from car traffic. Painting a few safety lines on the tarmac is not enough, we claim real cycle paths likely to give complete satisfaction to cyclists. Large apartment buildings should have parking spaces for pushchairs and bicycles, which would be a service to young families and cyclists.

Club Bus Service

Many people are involved in the associations of their municipalities. However, to get from A to B, especially at certain times, these people often depend on their car or efficient public transport. Older people and young people do not yet (or no longer) have a driving license. If the parents are not available, the young people do not have the possibility of going to their training sessions. In the absence of help from a family member or a friend, this observation also applies to the elderly. Therefore, the municipalities should consult with the clubs and, possibly, with their neighboring municipalities to set up a ServiceClub Bus for associations, accessible to anyone who does not have the possibility of using public transport or who must travel late (a bit like the Night Rider). To avoid abuse, associations should send a list of their members to the Service Club Bus once a year.

Ensuring barrier-free mobility

Public buildings and public squares must be designed to facilitate access for people with disabilities. The aim must be to ensure that each person can move independently in their municipality. Municipalities should have a service – which would also oversee town planning – where the people concerned can submit their complaints in this area.

Strengthen security in our municipalities

More police presence

The Pirates clearly plead for a reinforced police presence in the communes. In the “problem neighborhoods”, police patrols as well as municipal agents should show up and ensure good order and increased security. Larger municipalities should have a police station open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

No private police

The Pirates are clearly against the fact that private security companies are hired to provide security within the public space. This is clearly a task reserved for the police and municipal agents.

Focus on prevention: no more Street Workers

We must not put in the same bag all the people who live in the street. A clear distinction must be made between people with criminal intentions and those who are unable to leave the streets by their own strength. No one should be judged or sentenced based on their situation and social status. It is precisely the weaker individuals who should be taken care of and given a perspective by society. A society is only as strong as its weakest link. Therefore, the Pirates rely on charities and Street Workers likely to give a first helping hand to people who find themselves on the streets despite themselves. Municipalities can even call on the State to cover half of the costs incurred by Street Workers.

More skills for municipal officials

The Pirates are of the opinion that the use of a kind of “municipal police” is a way to follow to strengthen security in our municipalities. The gendarmerie was abolished a few decades ago, why would you want to create a new unnecessary administration? A much better alternative is to have police and city officials able to enforce the laws. Therefore, the Pirates are committed to ensuring that municipal officials can fully exercise their skills and ensure a certain presence on the ground, so that laws and regulations are fully respected.

CCTV is not a miracle cure

The Pirates argue for a realistic fight against crime. This means more prevention, information, and awareness through the presence of police officers on the ground. We oppose generalized video surveillance throughout the territory. Cameras and IT are expensive, reduce the privacy of honest people, and rarely help make neighborhoods safer.

Constructive measures for a better sense of security

In places deemed less safe, the municipality can improve people’s feeling of safety by improving the surrounding area. Sometimes it is better lighting that is needed, sometimes it is the widening of a sidewalk or the opening of a small business in a somewhat deserted area that can bring an improvement. It is up to the municipality to consult with its inhabitants to identify the places requiring such constructive measures.

More safety on the roads

In places that fall under the responsibility of the municipality, it is up to them to ensure maximum safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.Where indicated, the speed limit should be limited to a range between 20 km/h and 40 km/h, pedestrian crossings must be clearly visible and red lights can facilitate crossing. Near places frequented by children (schools, playgrounds, relay houses, etc.) the speed should be limited to 20 km/h, a measure that can be materialized by substantial improvements.

Using technology for more road safety

Technical means such as assistance systems in cars can be useful when it comes to improving everyday safety. For them to work properly, care must be taken to ensure that road signs, including the safety lines that these systems need for orientation, are clearly visible. Good signage also facilitates the introduction of buses and self-driving cars.

Ensure increased animal protection in our municipalities

Awareness and information on animal cruelty

The municipality can actively fight against animal cruelty through its information policy. To contribute to the necessary change in mentality, it can organize its own awareness campaigns, for example around ​​food. The municipality should promote a healthy and balanced diet. It can do this on events through targeted actions to promote seasonal, regional, vegetarian, or vegan alternatives. In cooperation with local farmers, the municipality can also showcase the benefits of good animal husbandry.

For modern and ethically correct hunting

The Pirates oppose hunts and plead for a practice of hunting that is more respectful of wild animals. This can be done by using alternative hunting methods. On the land that belongs to them, the municipalities can take control of the hunting lots themselves, hire professional hunters and completely renounce hunting. The Hunting Act even allows them to pronounce a ban on hunting on the land in question.

A place in the town for our dogs

Many animal sanctuaries are well filled with dogs and cats. These animals are waiting every day for their chance to be adopted. Rather than buying animals from breeders, we should help animals that are confined in an asylum. The municipality should reward people willing to adopt an animal and take on this heavy responsibility by paying a premium. In places without wooded areas and grasslands, dog toilets should be provided, especially near playgrounds, cemeteries, and residential areas. The Pirates are also committed to providing cemeteries for animals.

Animal collection centers

Every animal in distress needs help. That is why it is important that recognized animal assembly centers, animal shelters and animal protection associations are properly equipped. Municipalities should work together at regional level to cover the operating costs of these reception centers.

Mandatory microchips for dogs and cats

All dogs and cats must be identifiable and for this to be equipped with electronic chips. In each municipality there should be a contact point equipped with an electronic chip reader, thus making it possible to find the owners of lost pets.The sterilization of cats and dogs should be supported by the municipalitiesIt is in the interest of both animals and humans that animals are sterilized to ensure that their offspring are not too numerous. The municipality should ensure that the animals present on its territory do not reproduce excessively. For people having difficulty financing the sterilization of their animal, it is up to the municipality to bear the costs.

No animals in circuses

Pirates generally oppose the practice of raising, training, and exhibiting wild animals in circuses. There is no serious reason, other than human curiosity, to take animals out of their natural habitat and subject them to the stress of unnatural presentation sessions. We demand a radical ban on the presence of wild animals in circuses. The municipality should not authorize the presence of a circus on its territory if animal protection is not clearly ensured.

Responsible fishing

The Pirates are committed to sustainable fishing methods. In municipalities where fishing is possible in rivers, streams, lakes and ponds, the municipality should introduce a fishing permit to avoid poaching and to be able to exercise some control over it. The municipality should also, in close cooperation with fishing clubs, organize courses to inform fishermen about the rules to be observed and about the protection of animals in general. The practice of Catch & Release, which consists of catching fish to release them immediately afterwards, should be prohibited in the municipalities.

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