As of: January 30, 2024, 11:06 a.m
By: Felix Durach
Comments
Press
Split
The Bundestag is debating the traffic light coalition's budget for 2024 until Friday. CDU leader Merz warns of the consequences of high spending.
The news ticker.
“Constitutional requirement”: Finance Minister Christian Linder defended his budget plans.
The Bundestag is scheduled to approve the traffic light coalition's federal budget for 2024 this week.
This news ticker for budget week in the Bundestag is constantly updated.
Berlin - The German Bundestag will debate the federal budget for 2024 until Friday. The traffic light coalition around Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to adopt the plan by Friday with a significant delay.
The budget should have been ready in November before a ruling from Karlsruhe threw the plans overboard.
This was followed by lengthy debates about the debt brake and savings potential in the budget.
In recent weeks, the latter have driven tens of thousands of farmers onto the streets to demonstrate against the traffic light austerity measures.
But the traffic light's budget planning is in place and, in addition to the reduction in agricultural diesel subsidies criticized by farmers, also includes numerous other savings.
The debt brake is to be adhered to again for the first time in four years.
Budget debate in the Bundestag: Finance Minister Lindner defends traffic light plans
Finance Minister Christian Linder (FDP) defended his course on Tuesday morning (January 30).
“I would like us to finance our political priorities within the framework of the debt brake,” he told the ARD “Morgenmagazin”.
“Otherwise we would have to put together austerity packages or increase taxes at some point just to cover the debts of the past.”
Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) speaks in the German Bundestag.
© imago images
The debt brake was the big sticking point in recent debates.
The finance minister emphasized that compliance with this was “a constitutional requirement” that cannot be turned off and on at will.
Investments in infrastructure or education, for example, would have to be financed as part of the debt brake.
“We don’t have a revenue problem, we have to set priorities and we can do it,” said Lindner.
In 2009, the then ruling grand coalition under Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) decided to incorporate the debt brake into the Basic Law.
This limits the federal government's new structural debt to a maximum of 0.35 percent of GDP.
The debt brake can be lifted in crisis situations through a special regulation.
My news
Russia reacts to major NATO maneuvers – and threatens “tragic consequences” read
Putin's T-90 is defeated in a duel - a steel colossus full of weak points
“The enemy is gathering troops”: According to Ukraine soldiers, Putin is preparing a major attack read
Failed attack: Russian tank pilot films the destruction of his own unit
Erdogan tricks the SPD and the Greens: first a double pass, then new party readings
Wave of mobilization in Russia: Putin goes to select the soldiers
Merz criticizes the traffic light government’s budget policy – “It can’t go well”
Despite the debt brake, opposition leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) identified a spending problem in the traffic light budget plans.
The federal government is “spending money like never before,” complained the CDU leader in a press conference on Monday (January 29).
“We are seeing an acceleration in government spending that is twice as high as the growth rates of our economy.
“That can’t go well,” Merz continued.
The debates in the Bundestag begin on Tuesday.
Then the individual ministries present their plans for the financial year.
However, the budget will not be voted on until Friday.
Budget debate in the Bundestag: Traffic light coalition has to make adjustments after Karlsruhe ruling
A lawsuit by the CDU/CSU faction before the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe triggered the delays in budget planning.
The highest judges declared the transfer of 60 billion euros to the so-called Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF) to be unconstitutional.
The money was originally earmarked for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
In total, expenditure of 476.8 billion euros and new loans of around 39 billion are now planned.
The debt brake will still be adhered to because it allows a certain amount of leeway if economic expectations are poor.
(fd with material from dpa)