A dozen CDU politicians met on Monday on the snowy Großer Feldberg, including two state secretaries, four district administrators, a mayor and several mayors.

Many are also candidates, above all European State Secretary Uwe Becker.

That is at least as important at the meeting at the summit as the fact that everyone comes from the Hessian part of the Rhine-Main area and has just spent an hour and a half voting on a paper on the metropolitan region around Frankfurt.

They are now presenting this in the Feldberghaus restaurant.

It is about ten points where it is "necessary to get more involved together".

That's what host Ulrich Krebs, the district administrator of the Hochtaunuskreis says.

Florentine Fritzen

Correspondent in the Hochtaunus district

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Becker wants to become mayor of Frankfurt.

In his opinion, the largest city in the Rhine-Main area should be “the heart and motor of the region”.

But the city leaders recently "didn't really live it".

Others at the table agree.

Krebs summarizes that it is "generally an issue that we expect more from Frankfurt".

"Regional spirit" instead of "arrogance"

But less so in other respects.

That always becomes clear when someone mentions “Josefstadt” again.

The matter runs deep.

"When the newspaper said how Frankfurt imagined the region," Becker recalls - and promises "regional spirit" instead of "arrogance".

Thomas Horn, the director of the regional association, also complains that those affected learned from the press about the plans to build a new district to the west and east of Autobahn 5.

But actually it shouldn't be about complaining, but about how the Rhine-Main area can be "made strong together".

There are fewer points on paper than politicians are sitting at the table, but since Krebs is already moderating and the provisional managing director of the Frankfurt/Rhein-Main district, Annette Hogh, is responsible for the organization, it all works out.

Point one is presented by Uwe Becker: the matter with the engine.

Whereby Krebs said that the others “want to work together as equals”.

The European State Secretary adds that "Frankfurt/Rhein-Main" only has the chance to play along with the large regions of Europe if cities, districts and communities tackle things together.

With Frankfurt as the "strong core".

The common should become even more

example economy;

this is point 2, which Michael Cyriax stands up for.

The district administrator of the Main-Taunus district talks about affordable, secure energy supply and accelerated procedures in the authorities for foreign skilled workers.

Association Director Horn speaks about living, Digital State Secretary Patrick Burghardt, who is running for mayor in Rüsselsheim, talks about the gigabit region.

When it comes to plugging dead spots and data centers, the CDU wants to think regionally.

A green salad will soon follow, followed a little later by the main course with meat, hash browns and ratatouille.

Oliver Franz, Mayor of Wiesbaden, is in favor of an adequate solution in the east after the Regionaltangente West.

But cars are still part of the CDU, with more park and ride.

Jan Weckler, district administrator of the Wetterau district, says it makes sense for cities to work together on education across district borders, for example when they train bakers.

His colleague Oliver Quilling from the Offenbach district wants to intensify political cooperation with hospitals and specialist care.

Andreas Bruszynski, candidate for mayor in Offenbach, praises the cooperation in culture.

There is a lot of talk about what we have in common just having to become more.

This also applies to sustainability, although the Mayor of Bad Homburg, Alexander Hetjes, does not name bans as the right way, but rather research.

Sandro Zehner, Mayor of Taunusstein and candidate in the district administrator elections in the Rheingau-Taunus district, cites Rüdesheim as an example of regional tourism.

They did not include an eleventh point,

but find it important: safety.

Then there is Kaiserschmarrn.