Internal traffic light dispute about money?

Scholz confidant falls on deaf ears – now Lindner wants to take action

Created: 02/18/2022, 16:46

By: Patrick Mayer

Head of the traffic light coalition: Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck (The Greens) and Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP, from left).

© IMAGO / photo library

In the traffic light coalition there is apparently trouble about money.

Finance Minister Christian Lindner sees the debt brake in danger.

Olaf Scholz' head of the chancellery is also warning the ministries.

Munich/Berlin – FDP leader Christian Lindner and the Greens, would that work?

It was a key issue in the coalition negotiations of the new traffic light federal government between the SPD, FDP and Greens* before the alliance around Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD)* was formed.

Traffic light federal government: Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) warns of spending discipline

Now, apparently, an unexpected bickering between the neoliberal FDP* and the left-liberal Greens* is becoming a reality.

It's all about money: The issue of spending discipline is becoming more and more important in the Scholz cabinet.

Specifically: Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) had already warned his ministerial colleagues to restrain spending at the beginning of February.

Now there was the next shot across the bow in an internal circuit - but possibly unsuccessfully.

"With regard to solid public finances, the federal government agreed in the coalition agreement to return to the debt brake next year," he told the

at the time : "Already this year, however, I strongly advise spending discipline."

Zoff in traffic light federal government: Confidant of Chancellor Scholz (SPD) intervenes

Now a confidant of Prime Minister Scholz followed suit.

According to a report on Friday (February 18), Chancellor Wolfgang Schmidt (SPD) called on the federal government ministries to moderate the ongoing budget negotiations for 2022 and 2023.

Sound financial policy and compliance with the debt brake are crucial for the success of the traffic light coalition *, he said, according to

, during a video conference with the state secretaries responsible for financial planning last Monday.

The financial leeway was significantly less than many of those responsible in the ministries thought, said Schmidt.

However, his appeal for austerity fell on deaf ears, reported the

, citing participants.

In the next two weeks, Finance Minister Lindner (FDP) wants to have a so-called boss talk with every colleague in the cabinet in order to get them on track.

In the video: FDP supports Habeck plans to relieve tenants of the CO2 price

According to

, the background is the “excessive spending requests” of individual ministries.

For 2022 alone, this would be around 70 billion euros above the possible financial framework, for the period up to 2026 even by almost 500 billion euros.

Traffic light government made up of SPD, Greens and FDP: Ministries are said to be demanding 500 billion euros more

However, the government only has financial leeway for additional spending of around 50 billion euros for the full legislative period, the magazine wrote, citing the Federal Ministry of Finance *.

In addition, there would be 60 billion euros from the second supplementary budget for 2021.

*