Billion crisis package and extended state parliament presidency

Created: 2022-11-30Updated: 2022-11-30 3:39 p.m

MPs raise their hand during a vote during a session of the Lower Saxony state parliament.

© Moritz Frankenberg/dpa

Various areas are to be supported by the state in the energy crisis.

Parliament will do this in a special session.

A controversial change is also decided.

Hanover - The consequences of the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis are to be cushioned in Lower Saxony with almost three billion euros.

In a special session on Wednesday, the state parliament in Hanover approved the supplementary budget for 2022 and 2023 planned by the new state government made up of SPD and Greens.

A controversial expansion of the state parliament presidium was also initiated.

The core of the package is an emergency program of 970 million euros, which should soon relieve private consumers, small and medium-sized companies, municipalities and social institutions in view of the enormous increase in energy prices - if possible from December onwards.

Red-Green is thus making good on a key promise made in the state election campaign.

"We don't leave anyone alone," said SPD faction leader Grant Hendrik Tonne.

A subsidy for food costs at day care centers and schools is planned as support for families.

The sum is no small thing, "but absolutely necessary and appropriate in this situation," said Finance Minister Gerald Heere (Greens).

The measures are to be financed without new debt, but mainly from higher tax revenues, which the country can post primarily because of inflation.

Heere emphasized that the aid from the emergency program should reach those affected quickly.

From the crisis package, 707 million euros will be made available for investments in energy infrastructure, for example to finance the LNG terminal in Stade for importing liquid gas and for hydrogen projects.

The state wants to support the municipalities with 302 million euros in accommodating refugees.

In addition, there are 529 million euros for the municipalities as part of the municipal financial equalization and 394 million euros for so-called rate increases.

These include, for example, the cost of the increased housing benefit, the country's increased energy costs and interest payments.

The government only presented the plans for the supplementary budget in mid-November.

The CDU and AfD accused Red-Green of also bunkering money for the implementation of their own political goals with the billion-euro package.

In addition, the MPs were hardly given any time to deal with the plans.

Finance Minister Heere countered that the government had to act quickly in the crisis.

The deputy chairman of the CDU parliamentary group, Ulf Thiele, said: "Before and during the deliberations on the supplementary budget, the state government declared that the state of Lower Saxony must not be the beneficiary of inflation.

But that is exactly what is happening with the supplementary budget introduced today.” The state government is only using a small part of the additional tax revenue from inflation, which is really hurting taxpayers at this time, to relieve households and companies again.

In the future, however, the state parliament will have five instead of four vice presidents.

SPD, CDU and Greens voted for the controversial change, the AfD against.

Representatives Sabine Tippelt and Marcus Bosse sit as vice-presidents on the presidium for the strongest parliamentary group, the SPD, for the opposition CDU the former Minister of Agriculture Barbara Otte-Kinast and Jens Nacke, and for the second government parliamentary group, the Greens, MP Meta Janssen-Kucz .

AfD candidate Klaus Wichmann did not receive a majority.

According to the state parliament, a vice president receives a 40 percent surcharge on top of the basic salary, which is currently 7,485 euros per month.

Another vice-president would cost an additional €180,000 for the five-year legislative period.

The taxpayers' association recently called for a reduction in the surcharge.

The AfD criticized the expansion as not appropriate and necessary.

also read

19-year-old in court: Daughter beaten to death

Missing Maddie McCann: Court issues new arrest warrant against German suspect

The special session also dealt with the implementation of the planned nationwide ticket for local and regional transport.

Transport Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) said that the Deutschlandticket was technically feasible and implementable by April 1st.

It is a permanent change in local transport.

The ticket should be available as a monthly subscription for 49 euros.

dpa