The City of Leipzig’s handling of the City Council’s resolution on the environmental impact assessment
At times, it almost feels like a scene from a madhouse. On January 21, 2025, the Leipzig City Council voted by a majority in favour of a resolution by Die Linke and BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN: ‘The city council is requested to prepare an environmental impact assessment (EIA) to investigate the effects of increasing air traffic on the Natura 2000 Leipzig floodplain.’
Sounds simple? But apparently, it wasn’t. Instead of action, we received silence. Only after months of insistence, countless emails, and a more than sobering conversation with Environmental Mayor Heiko Rosenthal (Die Linke) did it become clear: this resolution was apparently just a showcase for democracy.
The council’s legal argument? Such a report cannot be prepared because it targets a higher authority—and that is only possible if the city’s planning rights are directly curtailed. Aha. An environmental report intended to provide insights therefore amounts to a municipal rebellion against the authorities.
The height of absurdity: a general report -that is, a report that could only provide factual information and serve science- is also rejected. The reason: volunteer work, not funding. Democracy, it seems, ends in Leipzig, where things start to get awkward.
Particularly poignant: the city of Leipzig itself had raised significant concerns about the environment and noise pollution during the planning approval process. These were ignored by the Saxon State Office. But instead of at least substantiating its position with an expert report or coming to the aid of the complainants from the BUND and citizen initiatives, the city retreats to the public gallery -naturally explaining that it is “not responsible.” Utter political irresponsibility.
We ask ourselves:
What is the value of a city council resolution if the administration ignores it at its own discretion? How credible is a declared climate emergency if even minimal protective measures are neglected?
And how can confidence in democratic processes arise if even the resolutions of the elected municipal council degenerate into mere symbolic politics?
