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Wolfgang Kubicki questions offices for Angela Merkel and Gerhard Schröder

2022-04-27T01:34:18.470Z


Former chancellors are entitled to rooms and staff in the Bundestag – for an unlimited period of time. This costly regulation must be reconsidered, demands FDP politician Wolfgang Kubicki.


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Angela Merkel and Wolfgang Kubicki (2018)

Photo: Gregor Fischer / dpa

In the course of the discussion about the behavior of Gerhard Schröder, the general handling of former chancellors could soon be newly regulated.

At least there is a corresponding push from a high point in the FDP.

Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki has questioned the Bundestag offices for Schröder (SPD) and Angela Merkel (CDU).

"I think it is essential to have a fundamental discussion about the extent to which these follow-up offices of Federal Chancellors must be fully staffed for decades to come," Kubicki told the newspapers of the editorial network Germany (RND).

"Therefore, the question is justified as to whether Chancellor Merkel needs an office with double equipment on a permanent basis, while there is a time limit for the higher-ranking Presidents of the Bundestag," he continued.

The parliamentary secretary of the Greens, Irene Mihalic, confirmed reports that the budget committee of the Bundestag is examining the fundamental reduction of the former chancellor's privileges.

"Discussions are currently taking place about revising the rules for the appointments of former Chancellors," Mihalic told RND.

"This reform would then also affect the former Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder."

Offices are budgetary sovereignty of the Bundestag

"However, this is not about an arbitrary reduction in salaries, that is not an option in the constitutional state," she emphasized.

"Regardless of this, we strongly condemn Schröder's actions and his close contacts with the Putin regime."

While the pensions of the Federal President and members of the Federal Cabinet are regulated by law, the budgetary sovereignty of the Bundestag includes the provision of offices and staff.

Gerhard Schröder is currently entitled to nine positions for his former chancellor's office, for which 407,000 euros flowed from the state coffers last year, according to the Bundestag.

However, they are currently vacant because the employees resigned after the outbreak of war and no successor has yet been found.

Therefore, the budget exclusion is now examining whether to cut the positions in the federal budget for 2023.

More severe criticism of Schröder

Vice President Kubicki told the RND: "I assume that the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag will handle the tax funds very carefully and will make a wise decision on this issue." the provision of office space makes no sense for pragmatic reasons«.

Schröder is currently heavily criticized in the SPD because of his work for Russian state-owned companies.

SPD leader Saskia Esken had therefore recently asked him to leave the party.

A party order procedure is already underway against Schröder, which could lead to his expulsion from the SPD.

In a recent US interview, he himself refused to clearly differentiate himself from Vladimir Putin - and also did not admit any mistakes of his own in dealing with Russia.

jok/AFP

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-04-27

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