Status: 28.11.2023, 11:57 a.m.
By: Felix Durach, Stefan Krieger
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Federal Chancellor Scholz made a government statement on the budget crisis. CDU leader Merz settled accounts with the traffic light for minutes afterwards. The news ticker.
- "Plumber of power": CDU leader Friedrich Merz launches a sweeping attack against the traffic light government
- "This is what I stand for as Chancellor": Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers government statement on the budget crisis
- This news ticker on the debate in the Bundestag about the budget crisis of the traffic light coalition is constantly updated.
Update from November 28, 11:45 a.m.: The debate in the Bundestag is still ongoing, but in the meantime MPs from every parliamentary group represented in the Bundestag have had their say in response to the Federal Chancellor's statement. In his speech, Scholz had appealed above all for the trust of the citizens that the decision in Karlsruhe would have no impact on their everyday lives. In addition, the Chancellor had announced the end of the energy price brake at the beginning of the year. The Chancellor, on the other hand, wanted to stick to the course of modernising Germany. It creates the conditions for good jobs and a strong economy and thus the foundation of future prosperity.
Following the statement, the speech by opposition leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) caused a stir. The CDU leader thundered for several minutes against Chancellor Scholz and the traffic light government. In doing so, Merz also lashed out at Economics Minister Habeck, Foreign Minister Baerbock and Finance Minister Lindner. He described the Chancellor himself as a "plumber of power" who lacks any idea of "how this country should continue to develop in the coming years". Furthermore, the CDU leader made it clear that his parliamentary group wanted to stick to the debt brake for 2024.
In view of the budget crisis in the Bundestag, CDU leader Friedrich Merz (right) lashes out at Chancellor Olaf Scholz (behind him) and the traffic light government. © Michael Kappeler/dpa
CSU leader Markus Söder has also commented on the chancellor's government statement, describing it as "anemic", among other things.
Government statement by Scholz in the Bundestag – "The country's emergency situation is called traffic lights"
Update from November 28, 11:15 a.m.: In his speech, Dietmar Bartsch, chairman of the Left Party's parliamentary group, calls for more humility from the Chancellor. "Germany definitely has a problem with skilled workers – at least when it comes to finance ministers," the Left politician teases Christian Lindner and his predecessor Olaf Scholz. "The country's plight is called traffic lights, but not even loans can help against it."
Government statement on budget crisis – Dürr applauds Merz's counterattack
Update from November 28, 11:07 a.m.: FDP parliamentary group leader Dürr counters Friedrich Merz. It was not an economics minister in the 90s who was appointed by the CDU/CSU, but only by the SPD and FDP. "We accept the praise," says Dürr, referring to the CDU leader's sweeping attack on the cabinet.
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"The only one from the CDU/CSU who hasn't called the debt brake into question this week is Markus Söder. But it's only Tuesday, my colleagues," Dürr jokes, referring to the unity of the Union praised by Merz, earning applause from the government factions.
Update from November 28, 11:04 a.m.: "You don't have too little, you have record tax revenues that you can't handle – like all socialists," AfD leader Alice Weidel reproached the chancellor in her speech. "They risk tax collapse, chaos and national bankruptcy. That's why we need a new government to get out of this mess. Open the way for new elections and free this country from the traffic light government," Weidel demanded at the end of her speech.
Update from November 28, 10:55 a.m.: Katharina Dröge, chairwoman of the Green parliamentary group, criticises the austerity proposals of CDU leader Friedrich Merz. She lacks seriousness in Merz and to a certain extent also decency. "I find it really shabby that the very first suggestion came from you, of all people, to cut back on child poverty." Merz had completely lost his compass. Dröge accused him of "igniting" with the citizens' money.
In order to close the budget gap that arose after the ruling, Merz had called for a waiver of basic child support, the heating law and a higher citizens' allowance.
Merz announces after Scholz's speech – "We will stick to the debt brake"
Update from November 28, 10:42 a.m.: Merz goes on to explain in the direction of the traffic light parties: "We will stick to the debt brake of the Basic Law. Do not even try to drive a wedge into the Union. We're not just talking about sustainability in environmental policy, we're also talking about sustainability in public finances."
"Feel free to come to me and then we can talk about almost anything," Merz said in the direction of the chancellor with a view to cooperation between the SPD and the CDU/CSU. "But if you continue to endanger our public finances and drive our economy to the wall, then we will do everything we can to end the spook with your federal government. This is the political responsibility of the opposition in this Bundestag," the opposition leader concludes.
Merz takes a sweeping blow at the traffic light – "just embarrassing"
Update from November 28, 10:40 a.m.: Now opposition leader Merz is speaking. His parliamentary group "did not triumph" over the verdict in Karlsruhe, Merz declared, earning laughter from the ranks of the government factions. The "Climate and Transformation Fund" was an attempt by the government to "square the circle", which has now been punished by the Constitutional Court, Merz continues. The CDU leader continues to criticize a lack of regret and a lack of apology from the chancellor.
Subsequently, Merz mockingly addresses Vice-Chancellor Habeck. He had described the CDU as a "party from the 90s". "I take it as a great compliment what they said. In the 90s, we had ministers of economic affairs sitting on the government bench who really knew something about economic policy. We have had foreign ministers sitting on the government bench who have not travelled the world with a wagging finger. All of whom were highly respected and none of whom would have thought of abstaining from a UN resolution on Israel. And we had a finance minister who, in ten years' time, had led Germany safely into monetary union, despite the greatest fiscal challenges. And with Helmut Kohl, we had a Chancellor who made history with German unity, the European single market and monetary union. They are light years away from that," Merz thunders against the federal government. The appearance of the traffic light is "just embarrassing".
Scholz's proposals are purely technical responses to a highly political decision by the Constitutional Court, Merz continues. The CDU leader then described Scholz as a "plumber of power" who had no idea about the future of the country. "The shoes in which they stand as Chancellor are at least two shoe sizes too big for them."
Traffic light in front of budget rubble: Scholz takes a stand - "that's what I stand for as chancellor"
Update from November 28, 10:25 a.m.: "Only if Germany modernises will we be able to continue to respond powerfully to crises in the future," Scholz continued. "At the beginning of our government, we decided not to stand by and watch Germany's infrastructure crumble." It is now necessary to "invest powerfully in the future" in order to remain competitive. It is now necessary to advance the energy transition, which was promised in the past, and the reform backlog in Germany must be resolved, Scholz continued. "That's what I stand for as chancellor. The Federal Government, which I lead, has been working on all of these goals from day one," Scholz continued. Citizens can continue to rely on this in the future, Scholz said at the end of his speech.
Scholz's speech on the "budget debris field" – "We will not leave anyone alone"
Update from 28 November, 10.17 a.m.: "The state will continue to live up to its tasks," the Chancellor addressed the citizens. Nothing will change in their everyday lives as a result of the ruling from Karlsruhe. The Chancellor refers to the decision of the traffic light government on the supplementary budget on Monday. The corresponding draft has already been submitted to the Bundestag, which must pass it with a majority.
Scholz also addressed the budget planning for the coming year. The government factions are currently still discussing this. In the run-up to the event, members of the SPD and the Greens in particular had repeatedly called for the suspension of the debt brake for the coming year – but the FDP rejected the step.
"We won't leave anyone alone," Scholz said, earning laughter from the plenary once again. "You'll never walk alone," Scholz repeats his promise from last year. With a view to the laughter from the ranks of the CDU/CSU, Scholz added with a smile: "I don't know how to interpret their fun now, but maybe like this: You'll walk without the Christian Democratic Union."
Government statement on budget crisis – Scholz calls spending "necessary and right"
Update from November 28, 10:13 a.m.: In his remarks, the Chancellor continues to justify his government's spending. "Necessary and right" were the Corona aid, the special fund for the Bundeswehr and the support for the victims of the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley, Scholz explained.
According to Scholz, the ruling of the Constitutional Court creates "a new reality", as "aid in such emergency situations must now be decided anew by the Bundestag every year – but can also be decided anew".
Update from November 28, 10:07 a.m.: In his justification for the budget crisis, Scholz refers to the crises of recent years. Above all, the Corona crisis and the Ukraine war are listed by the Chancellor as triggers for the budget crisis. Support for Ukraine in particular continues to be of "existential importance", Scholz continued.
The Federal Chancellor also referred to the suspension of gas deliveries by Russia. "With the loss of supplies from Russia, there was a shortage of 120,000 cubic metres of gas on the world market from one day to the next," the Federal Chancellor said. Even then, it was clear that this step would also have an impact on the winter of 2023.
Scholz also confirmed that the energy price brakes would be ended at the beginning of next year. The SPD politician cited as the reason that electricity and gas tariffs are now available again everywhere in Germany, which are significantly higher than before the crisis - but mostly below the upper limits of the price brakes and also noticeably below the prices last autumn and winter.
Scholz's speech in the Bundestag: Chancellor earns laughter in parliament
Update from November 28, 10:04 a.m.: Now to the actual topic. Scholz recapitulates the ruling in Karlsruhe "Much of how to deal with the debt brake has not yet been clearly clarified from a legal point of view," Scholz said, referring to the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court. The assessment is met with laughter by large parts of the plenary.
"Over the past few days, we have held intensive discussions on the consequences of the ruling," said the Federal Chancellor. However, these discussions are still ongoing. "Diligence takes precedence over speed," says the Chancellor, earning again derisive laughter from the MPs.
Update from November 28, 10:02 a.m.: Scholz begins his speech with a reference to the situation in the Middle East. The Chancellor said he was "happy and relieved" that Hamas had released more hostages, including Germans, in recent days. However, the developments are only a "first step".
Update from November 28, 10:01 a.m.: The President of the Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, opens the session of the Bundestag. Agenda item one: The Federal Chancellor's government statement. Scholz steps in front of the microphones in the Bundestag.
Scholz's speech on the budget crisis eagerly awaited – Chancellor ventures forward
Update from November 28, 9:50 a.m.: In just under ten minutes, Chancellor Scholz will step in front of the microphones in the Bundestag and deliver the eagerly awaited government statement on the budget crisis of the traffic light coalition and the supplementary budget adopted on Monday. The speech will be followed by a debate in Parliament.
Update from November 28, 8:00 a.m.: According to a recent survey, a majority of people in Germany doubt that a CDU/CSU-led government would be able to deal with the budget crisis better. When asked whether a federal government led by the CDU and CSU would be better able to cope with the crisis, 59 percent of respondents answered "no".
This is the result of a recent representative survey conducted by the opinion research institute Forsa for RTL Group Germany. Only 35 percent of the approximately <>,<> respondents believe that the conservatives can handle it better than the SPD, FDP and Greens, according to Stern.
Scholz issues government statement on budget crisis
First reported on 28 November: Berlin – In a government statement to the Bundestag today, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to comment on the consequences of the Karlsruhe budget ruling for his government's policy. The Chancellor's 25-minute speech, which is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m., will be followed by a two-hour debate in the plenary, in which the opposition wants to take a hard line against the budget policy of the traffic light coalition. The Federal Constitutional Court had declared parts of the 2023 federal budget unconstitutional.
On Monday (27 November), the Federal Cabinet adopted a supplementary budget that is intended to retrospectively put the financial planning for the current year on a basis that complies with the Basic Law. The Bundestag is to discuss this draft for the first time next Friday.
Budget crisis and government statement: Union calls on chancellor to act
Ahead of the government statement in the Bundestag, CDU/CSU politicians have called on the Chancellor to take leadership in the budget crisis. The opposition called on Scholz to use his government statement to change course. "The Chancellor must announce a fundamental change in his policy," demanded Friedrich Merz (CDU), head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. "I expect a second Zeitenwende speech with significant corrections." The chancellor must explain how he wants to put the 2023 and 2024 budgets on a solid footing, said Union parliamentary group vice-chairman Jens Spahn of the Rheinische Post.
The opposition had urged Scholz to comment on the consequences of the ruling in the Bundestag or with a televised address. On Friday, the Chancellor published a video message. In it, he assured citizens of quick decisions on how to proceed and stressed that state aid in special emergencies would still be possible. However, there are now clear guidelines for this.
North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst complained that the traffic light had managed to ruin Germany's reputation as an anchor of stability in two years. The chancellor has it in his own hands to turn the tide – "with honesty instead of perpetual trickery," he told the editorial network Germany. Saxony's head of government Michael Kretschmer (both CDU) told the Tagesspiegel that the aim was to prevent a national crisis.
Federal budget: Union wants to examine supplementary budget - Scholz comments
On Monday, Merz announced a detailed examination of the supplementary budget. Only then will the parliamentary group decide whether to appeal to the Constitutional Court, he said. With the construction planned by the traffic light, however, there seems to be a way to design the supplementary budget in conformity with the constitution.
"That doesn't mean we agree to the budget. I don't see that," Merz emphasized, adding: "But I don't see the question of whether we will sue against it at the moment." For the 2024 budget, on the other hand, which still has to be revised by the traffic light, everything is open. "If the federal government is of the opinion that it should also have an extraordinary emergency declared for 2024, then I do not see this as constitutional, at least from today's perspective." Then, if necessary, the Union will take action against it again.
Lindner expects tough negotiations with Scholz and Greens on 2024 budget
Finance Minister Christian Lindner has already prepared the traffic light parliamentary groups in the Bundestag for tough negotiations on the budget for the coming year. "Considerable efforts will still be required for the final preparation of the 2024 federal budget," the FDP politician wrote in a letter to the parliamentary groups of the SPD, Greens and FDP, which is available to the German Press Agency. "We will have to have intensive discussions, which will not always be easy."
Meanwhile, FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr pledged the citizens to an austerity course in the coming years. "We will have to be moderate far beyond this legislative period," he told Stern. He also confirmed in the ARD Tagesthemen that the FDP stands by the debt brake. (Ed. with agencies)