Over 100 officials of the Thai Interior Ministry visited on 8 June 2012, the Hanns Seidel Foundation in order to be informed about the federal structures in the Federal Republic of Germany and the local self-government in Bavaria. The German experience of a federal system and state-building subsidiary was mediated by Prof. Ursula Männle, Former State Minister, Chairman of the Committee on Federal and European Affairs in the Bavarian parliament and Deputy Chairman of the Hanns Seidel Foundation. Prof. Dr. Reinhard Meier-Walser, director of the Academy of Political and Current Affairs and Deputy General Manager of the Hanns Seidel Foundation, put the focus on the structures and challenges of local self-government in Bavaria, it was of great interest for the administrators of rural regions of Thailand.

The objective of the Thai government is the strengthening of decentralized management structures and local administrations, said Dr. Chockchai Dejamorntha, Deputy Director General of the Thai Ministry of Interior. He also informed about Thailand’s intention to strengthen decentralized administrational structures within the country seeing his Ministry in charge of implementing further reforms. The goal of the reforms is clear: the strengthening of democracy through citizen participation and local elections, decentralization of powers and a more efficient public administration at district and communal level.

Unity in diversity and subsidiarity are the guiding principles of the German state, said Prof. Männle. However, the German federal system is facing a triple challenge: to integrate the European level, establish a balance in distribution of competence between the Federal Government and the states and to spread the income balanced vertically and horizontally, so that it will be any different standards of living in the states. Germany has made the experience, that this federal structure increase the efficiency and legitimacy of a community. The central government restriction of political power, the promotion of the principle of competition between the individual states, the preservation of country-specific culture and the closer and more trusting relationship between citizen and state counts, to the fundamental advantages of the federal government structure, so Männle.

Prof. Dr. Reinhard Meier-Walser pointed out to the Thai administrative officials who will take senior positions in regional and municipal administration in Thailand in the near future, that subsidiary idea of ​​a possible large administrative autonomy of the citizen plays a traditionally important role in Bavaria. This explains the importance of local government which is enshrined in the Bavarian Constitution - "The autonomy of the municipalities in Bavaria is to serve the democracy from the bottom up." Particular attention should be paid to the developments of the future: In the performance of your duties, especially in cross-functional tasks, such as water supply or sanitation, the local authorities are increasingly reaching their limits, says Prof. Dr. Meier-Walser. A solution could represent new forms of local cooperation, eg in the context of administrative communities. Likewise, the municipalities are faced with the challenge of facing the consequences of demographic change.

The close, over 20-year collaboration between the Hanns Seidel Foundation and the Kingdom of Thailand provides a broad foundation for future cooperation. The Hanns Seidel Foundation is willing to contribute support for further strengthen the democratic and constitutional culture in the country. Specifically, cooperation in the field of local government and good policing was discussed.