Following the report on the 2025 budget, the coalition leaders will have to renegotiate the figures. But there is also a need for discussion on the atmosphere.
In the renewed budget dispute, the SPD and the Greens are making strong accusations against Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner. After a compromise on the 2025 budget was reached with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens), the FDP politician had several projects examined for constitutional and economic reasons. SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert now said on ARD: “It is not good style to now hide behind supposed or actual reports and say that it was not meant that way.” This is especially true of the publication while the Chancellor is on vacation. “This can only be seen as self-promotion.”
Green Party deputy Andreas Audretsch accused Lindner of unilaterally terminating a joint agreement. “Now he must present solutions,” said Audretsch on ARD. At the same time, he made it clear: “We will not allow cuts to social welfare or climate protection.” It is also the Chancellor’s job to remind the Finance Minister that jointly agreed paths must also be jointly supported.
SPD budget expert Achim Post also warned via the Bild newspaper: “Our state budget must not be a budget of austerity, but must ensure social, internal and external security and create indispensable investments.” It is now up to the finance minister to evaluate the proposed measures to close the budget gap together with the entire federal government. The SPD expects “constructive solutions that are legally acceptable.”
“This won’t happen to me a second time”
The three traffic light coalition leaders had actually announced at the beginning of July that they had found a compromise on the budget. They had previously struggled for weeks to close a gap of at least 30 billion euros. However, the review commissioned by Lindner revealed legal risks, particularly in the plan to use the remaining 4.9 billion euros from the KfW development bank for the gas price caps for other purposes in the budget. The plan to pay loans instead of subsidies to the motorway company could therefore also be problematic.
Lindner defended his actions in the ZDF summer interview. The review of several measures had been agreed. When presenting the budget, he had already transparently announced that he would commission independent experts to do so. The finance minister stressed that he had already agreed to a coalition compromise on the budget that had been shaky and had been rejected by the Federal Constitutional Court. “That won’t happen to me a second time,” stressed the FDP chairman.
Secretary General accuses coalition partners of “debt populism”
FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai came to the aid of his party leader and criticized repeated calls to loosen the debt brake. “The debt populism of the SPD and the Greens is becoming more and more unbearable,” Djir-Sarai told Bild. However, respect for taxpayers requires careful use of the available funds. “Unfortunately, the SPD and the Greens all too often fail to show this respect,” complained the FDP politician.
Lindner had estimated the funding gap for the 2025 budget at around five billion euros. However, there is still plenty of time to find a viable solution. He will be consulting with Scholz and Habeck until the middle of the month. The draft budget will then go to the Bundestag, where it is to be approved at the end of November.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
