Then Lars Klingbeil comes up to speak briefly about saving

When Lars Klingbeil steps on the speaker at 10.02 a.m. under the glass Reichstag dome, it is still unclear who will speak there. Is it the generic Minister of Investment? The coalition’s strict treasurer? Or the SPD leader, who was recently punished by his own comrades during the re-election at the party congress?

It was eagerly awaited for which of the three roles Vice-Chancellor Minister of Finance Minister Klingbeil would decide to insert the budget for 2025 and financial planning by 2029-and which audience he would like to address.

After Klingbeil’s almost 45-minute “incorporation speech”, as it says in technical jargon, it is clear: the social democrat Klingbeil was particularly spoken. Chancellor Friedrich Merz should also think of that.

Klingbeil largely dispenses with abstract numbers. Instead, he makes the intentions of his first draft budget – which is now advised in parliament and is poured in a form of law – plastic.

Klingbeil speaks of late trains that have long since become a “democracy problem”. Potholes in the streets. Light and priceless living space. Dilaps schools. Much is “a question of justice for him,” says Klingbeil, and “social question of our time”. The SPD faction claps, of course.

Your finance minister addresses topics that make red hearts beat faster. Again and again Klingbeil emphasizes the hard workers in the country, whose jobs were to be secured with the billions for economic growth. “It’s about growth and justice – with this household and the special fund,” said Klingbeil.

Expenditures of 503 billion euros are planned for the current year – and 81.8 billion in new debts. In parallel to the household, the special infrastructure assets of 500 billion euros are launched, which the old Bundestag had also written in addition to the exception of the debt rules for defense spending.

Klingbeil’s priorities: investments, investments and investments. So the self -explanation does not say “Minister of Investment”, but it says. Because although his “three clear priorities” in budget planning would also include structural reforms and “necessary consolidation” of the household, investments are the most space in his speech. This also gives a scene applause from the ranks of the Union, which actually pounds more and more urgently on reforms and savings. Sure, structural reforms also want to advance the government, says Klingbeil. Many of them would now be discussed in commissions.

The Zoff has recently shown that Klingbeil can get into role conflicts for reducing electricity tax. Schwarz-Rot has promised comprehensive relief, but cannot redeem it because of the budget, at least not immediately. Consequence: Of all things, the Social Democratic finance minister brakes the social democratic party leader and initially only reduces electricity tax for large corporations, but not for everyone – and especially the Union in particular.

Klingbeil only goes into it briefly, provided with a small tip against the Union colleagues. “The top priority of the government is economic growth and securing jobs,” he says. A first big step will now be taken by ensuring competitive energy prices. He says it so clearly “because it sometimes went down a bit”.

The finance minister also comes to speak of the internal and external security and admits that the planned amount of the defense budget is something that the country moves. What he does not say: his party too. The SPD-Linke in particular strangers with the enormous growth. The 3.5 percent goal of NATO is to be reached as early as 2029.

“We all want peace,” says Klingbeil, also aimed at our own ranks. But the Bundeswehr was broken. It was missing everywhere when Russia attacked Ukraine. “We need security from Putin’s Russia, that’s a task – and we have to invest in our security.” He was convinced that his own strength is the prerequisite for “in which we can come back to peace in Europe.”

Only after 36 minutes, almost ten minutes before the end, that Klingbeil comes to the third focus of his household: consolidation. The finance minister emphasizes that his draft is “well calculated” despite the difficult starting point. He had to avert additional claims of ministerial colleagues of almost 50 billion euros. Klingbeil does not say that only the Federal Foreign Office and the Ministry of Development have noticeably less money than before. Your own savings efforts, such as the administrative expenditure, are also more cosmetic.

The financial gaps in the household could add up to 144 billion to up to 144 billion by 2029. For example because of increasing interest costs or the repayment of the Corona debt. As a reminder: The traffic light coalition has already disassembled it because of a low, double-digit billion dollar hole.

Where should the money come from? For example through economic growth, consequently the billion -dollar investments – a hope value. Or the announced structural reforms that are currently being developed – and are long in coming. A fundamental reform of the debt brake is also agreed. But is that enough?

On Wednesday, Chancellor Merz in the general debate (from 9 a.m.), traditionally gives a location on government policy. After Klingbeil’s investment speech, he should hardly avoid emphasizing consolidations more. Merz also has to keep his people happy.

In the end, Klingbeil emphasizes that as finance minister, he will make sure that the state no longer could be tricked. “We will not miss tax reductions,” he announces. He wanted to prevent tax fraud consistently and ensure that “every cent will be repaid”.

That is, of course, a question of justice.