The mayors of the five municipalities had hoped to come to a conclusion in a meeting with the Ministry of the Interior by mid-January. However, the meeting is yet to take place.
The mayor of Bettendorf, Pascale Hansen, estimates that the top councillors will meet within the next week to find a common position. After the carnival holidays, they want to meet with the Minister of the Interior, Tania Bofferding, she said.
So far, the five municipalities are positive about a merger. There is less consensus about finances. The municipalities have received an offer of 60 million euros from the ministry, but that is only half of what was asked for.
The Ministry of the Interior is cautiously optimistic that the merger will come to fruition. However, it is up to the municipalities to decide whether they want to come together or not.
