Debt package: Bavaria wants to agree in the Federal Council

Bavaria wants to agree to the planned billion -dollar financial package of the Union and the SPD in the Federal Council of the Basic Law. CSU and Free Voters had agreed on this in a meeting of the coalition committee, said State Chancellor Florian Herrmann (CSU) in a joint statement with freelance voter faction leader Florian Streibl in the State Chancellery in Munich. However, the Bavarian coalitioners also agreed on a protocol note in which, among other things, climate neutrality is not regarded by the Free State as a constitutional order from 2045.

So that the debt package can pass the Federal Council on Friday, the votes of the Free State could be decisive. However, it was needed in advance for an approval of CSU and free voters – according to the coalition agreement, Bayern should have included disagreement in the Federal Council. However, there was also a possible burst of the Bayern coalition.

Free voter chief Hubert Aiwanger had ultimately admitted that “no chance” was to be stopped to finally stop the debt package. “Even if that’s complete madness: the CSU can also agree without us in the Federal Council,” he said at the weekend at an appointment in Neuburg, the “Augsburg Allgemeine” reported on it. Aiwanger confirmed the quotes on Monday, before the ultimately decisive meeting of the coalition committee of CSU and free voters, the German press agency.

Last week there were still massive reservations from the free voters. The head of the free voters in the state parliament, Florian Streibl, said: “Ultimately, this is also about the freedom of our society.” The free voters did not want to oppose the majority opinion of all federal states.

With a no from the Bavarian free voters, hundreds of billions for the Bundeswehr and the renovation of the dilapidated infrastructure would have been in danger. The laboriously found base of a new black and red federal government and thus the election of CDU boss Friedrich Merz as the next Federal Chancellor would have hung on the silk thread. In the CSU there had therefore been mind games behind the scenes to risk the Bayern coalition with the free voters.

Because for the package negotiated by the Union, SPD and the Greens and the associated loosening of the debt brake, the Basic Law must be changed. This not only needs a two -thirds majority in the Bundestag on Tuesday, but then also in the Federal Council on Friday. 46 out of 69 votes are necessary. The state governments provided exclusively by the CDU, SPD or Greens only come to 41 votes, so five are missing.

The six Bavarian votes could therefore be decisive in the end – if not other countries with a government participation from FDP, left or BSW, which is even more uncertain in most cases.

The CSU negotiated the package in Berlin, so it is for it. The free voters had so far refused their blessing. “We cannot agree with this paper at the moment of the black and red future coalition because we see more danger as an opportunity for the stability of our country,” Aiwanger said last Wednesday. In addition, the free voters referred to their coalition agreement with the CSU – such debt plans are categorically excluded there. Aiwanger had already explained that the last word had not yet been spoken.