Friedrich Merz: Prime Minister Haseloff welcomes debt turnaround

Reiner Haseloff saw his confirmation from the highest level on Wednesday: his party leader. The CDU Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt has long been calling for a serious debate about the state’s finances and a moderate reform of the debt brake. And now this: Suddenly, Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz is no longer ruling out reform. This puts the Union in turmoil.

Haseloff is now supporting his party leader. “Strengthening Germany as a business location is an urgent task. Friedrich Merz has suggested the right solutions,” says Haseloff now star. “For a good future for our country, it is important to invest in infrastructure, science and new technologies. Constitutional solutions must be found for this,” says Haseloff.

What had happened? At the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” economic summit on Wednesday, Merz was also asked about the future of the debt brake. His answer seems like a U-turn. The debt brake is just a technical issue, said Merz. “Of course this can be reformed. The question is: for what purpose, with what purpose? What is the result of such a reform?” asked the Union politician. “Is the result that we spend even more money on consumption and social policy? Then the answer is no.”

Until now, Merz sounded different. In January, Merz declared in the German Bundestag: “I am again ruling out my group’s approval of a weakening of the debt brake from this point today. You cannot count on that.” His general secretary, Carsten Linnemann, now contradicts his own party leader: “With us there will be no change in the federal government regarding the debt brake,” Linnemann said on Thursday evening at Maybritt Illner. What applies now?

The Union parliamentary group has also been open to a careful reform of the debt brake for a long time. The narrative that has long prevailed among budget politicians is: First cut, then redeploy, and then you have to talk about further financing options – including new debts or special assets. “It’s clear to everyone that it won’t work without adjustments,” one householder told the star.

It has been sounding similar from the Union-led countries for a long time: at the end of last year, Berlin’s governing mayor Kai Wegner called for more investment in the future. Daniel Günther from Schleswig-Holstein said shortly afterwards: The debt brake is important, but the question of whether the federal states are allowed to take on debt needs to be discussed.

The SPD is happy to take the ball from the Union in the election campaign. Party leader Lars Klingbeil published a long statement on Friday via the short message service then a majority,” wrote Klingbeil. “We should now use this opportunity together and not waste any more time.”

Klingbeil, like Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) before him, warned that reform could become more difficult after the federal election. “Nobody knows how the election will turn out, but the danger that destructive parties like the AfD or BSW will be able to block reforms afterwards is real,” wrote the SPD party leader. The concern: BSW and AfD could prevent constitutional changes in parliament. A third of the votes is enough for this.

From the Union you can hear: no chance. Such a blocking minority of the AfD and BSW is not in sight. “We shouldn’t rule out of fear,” says a householder. But it is also true: For the SPD and the Greens, an obvious U-turn by the Union would be proof of their accusations that the Conservatives are blocking a reform of the debt brake for party-tactical reasons. Only to do it yourself after the election. The Union cannot use this debate in the election campaign.

But Friedrich Merz gave this story a little more shine with his public change of course. With Reiner Haseloff, it’s been clear for months what he stands for. Dem star says the CDU politician about Merz’s demands: “That’s exactly what I asked for a year ago.”