Scholz takes the floor in the Bundestag - traffic light policy during the Ukraine war on the test bench

Created: 03/22/2022, 21:24

By: Cindy Boden

Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the government bench in the Bundestag on March 22nd.

© Jens Schicke/Imago

The high point of the budget deliberations in the Bundestag is on Wednesday: in addition to the faction leaders, Chancellor Scholz will also speak in the general debate.

Berlin – After the change of government in Germany, the next premiere for the traffic light and Chancellor Olaf Scholz* (SPD) is coming up.

In the general debate in the Bundestag on Wednesday (March 22), the politics of the tripartite alliance will be put to the test.

It starts at 9 a.m.

The four-hour debate on the Chancellor's budget traditionally has the character of a general debate on government policy.

As head of the largest opposition faction, the CDU * politician Friedrich Merz will open the debate.

The Chancellor speaks after him.

All other parliamentary group leaders also want to take the floor.

General debate with Scholz in the Bundestag - focus of the Chancellor's speech probably Ukraine war

The budget of the chancellor's office envisages spending of 3.7 billion euros this year, which is a decrease of 14.3 percent compared to the previous year.

The individual budgets for the Federal Foreign Office (around 1 p.m.), the Ministry of Defense (around 2.45 p.m.) and the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (around 4.30 p.m.) will also be discussed on Wednesday.

Because of the federal elections in autumn, the budget for 2022 will be presented to parliament several months later than usual.

A focus of Scholz's speech is likely to be the Ukraine war and its consequences.

On Thursday and Friday, the heads of state and government of NATO, the G7 and the European Union will meet in Brussels for three consecutive summits.

From the United States was heard on Tuesday evening that new sanctions against Russia should be announced.

Scholz remains with a clear no to the immediate stop of energy imports from Russia

On Tuesday, Scholz stuck to his clear no to an immediate stop to energy imports from Russia because of the Ukraine war *.

The position of the federal government is unchanged, he said.

This also applies to many other EU member states, whose dependence on Russian energy is even greater.

"You can't leave anyone out in the cold in this respect." Meanwhile, the attacks in Ukraine, for example in Mariupol, continue.