Finance Minister Lindner makes it clear that the financing of investments in the motorway and rail networks is not clear. A Green budget expert shows possible ways forward.
Green budget officer Paula Piechotta sees open questions regarding plans for more money for highways and the rail network. “We will see in the autumn whether there will ultimately be more equity, loans or a completely different solution and whether such a solution will be found not only for rail and road but also for waterways,” she told the German Press Agency in Berlin.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) had announced that the federal government wanted to consider billion-euro loans instead of grants to the railway and motorway companies. This is part of the basic agreement on the 2025 budget. Lindner told the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung” that this was one of the proposals from the Chancellery to close a remaining “need for action” of eight billion euros. He would not take any constitutional risks and would not make any uneconomical decisions.
“Habeck, Scholz and Lindner have made it very clear that the exact paths to creditworthiness for transport investments still need to be examined,” said Piechotta. It is necessary to examine which path is the best for taxpayers. There is time until November for this debate between Parliament, the Court of Auditors, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport. Then the budget is to be approved by Parliament. Piechotta is responsible for the transport budget in the Budget Committee.
Source: Stern
