As of: February 8, 2024, 10:00 a.m
By: Mark Stoffers
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Split
Robert Habeck and Christian Lindern hardly see eye to eye these days.
Is there another dispute between the traffic light ministers in the citizen's money debate?
Berlin – Economics Minister Robert Habeck and Finance Minister Christian Lindner have not necessarily been particularly green in recent weeks.
Opinions also differ on the question of how the government should and can help the German economy to recover.
While Habeck has in mind a new plan for pensions, citizens' benefits and migration, Lindner apparently wants to put a red pencil on citizens' benefits and also finally abolish the “pension at 63”.
But at least when it comes to citizens' money, there could be a threat of new trouble and the next dispute could possibly be in the offing.
After all, the Green politician has now intervened in the heated debate about citizens' money.
Habeck wants to stimulate the German economy: Minister responds to the citizens' money debate
After the discussion about possible citizens' money sanctions had subsided somewhat, Habeck may be fanning the flames between the coalition partners on the issue again.
Finally, the Green Minister gave a clear but no less clear rejection of the zero round of the 2025 citizen's benefit increase planned by his FDP minister colleague.
Robert Habeck and Christian Lindner rarely agree.
There is also a problem with citizens' money.
© IMAGO / Future Image Frederic Kern
Habeck contradicted Lindner from the traffic light coalition about the prospect of a lack of an increase in citizens' benefits in 2025, also with regard to his plans to stimulate the German economy again.
“I agree with Christian Lindner: We have to do more for growth and economic dynamism,” Habeck told
Welt am Sonntag
and expressed his willingness to work together.
He is therefore happy to work with Lindner on a dynamization package.
He had just introduced suggestions for this into the joint government work.
Habeck's clear announcement on the 2025 citizen's benefit increase: "It won't work with a zero round."
But at one point Habeck drew a red line for Lindner, for whom “citizens’ money is not a pension”.
The Federal Minister of Economics clearly rejects saving citizens' money when it comes to financing.
There is little financial leeway, "but if we really want to develop force to keep up with the USA, we can't do it with a zero round of citizen's money."
There was also criticism from another traffic light minister.
“An adjustment is not determined in political talk shows,” said Labor Minister Hubertus Heil at the time, verbally scolding Lindner after his statement that he expected a zero round of the citizen benefit increase in 2025.
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Against this background, citizens' money, which also brings the President of the Federal Social Court (BSG), Rainer Schlegel, into the spotlight.
But it's not just the current disputes, but also the ongoing criticism of citizens' money surrounding Ukrainian refugees that is a thorn in Schlegel's side.
In the shadows of the debates, he calls for an objective discussion on social issues.
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The stumbling block is apparently the statements made by CDU leader Friedrich Merz and his party.
Schlegel is annoyed by the rhetoric regarding long-term recipients and the plans to abolish citizens' money entirely.
Some experts even want to see this as a means of distancing themselves from the AfD.
Citizens' money is not suitable “for gaining territory” and for “demarcating the AfD”.
“I think that citizens’ money is not suitable for wanting to gain land,” said Schlegel at his court’s annual press conference on Tuesday in Kassel.
Overall, “these topics are not suitable for scoring points in contrast to the AfD”.
Statements that, to a certain extent, also support BA boss Andrea Nahles, who said in the heated debate about citizens' money that “you can't change horses in the middle of a gallop”.
Nevertheless, there are also other voices that say that a new increase in citizens' allowance would “certainly not be particularly well received”.
In fact, the economist Raffelhüschen is even calling for a massive reform of citizens' money without "cash payments", which makes it clear that the discussion is unlikely to end in the short term.
However, only the future will show to what extent Robert Habeck and Christian Lindner will provide new political fuel.
(with material from dpa)