Bundestag discusses supplementary budget 2023 - opposition has constitutional concerns

Bundestag discusses supplementary budget 2023 - opposition has constitutional concerns

CDU budget expert Mathias Middelberg said that the traffic light coalition must draw the consequences from its "failed budget accounting technique". The CDU/CSU still had "constitutional concerns" about this, as other special funds continued to be booked past the regular budget.

AfD MP Peter Boehringer called the 2023 budget "still simply unconstitutional". The traffic light coalition is now declaring an emergency at the end of the year to suspend the debt brake, which nobody had previously noticed. Ultimately, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) is thus creating the conditions to suspend the debt brake in the coming year as well.

Lindner was actually supposed to take part in the debate. However, according to Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD), he fell ill at short notice.

Read also:

• This will change in December
• German activists speak out in Dubai on suffering in Israel and the Gaza Strip
• Despite UN vote: fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip continues
• Nuclear fusion - hype or solution to energy problems?

1. Despite the Opposition's constitutional concerns, the Traffic light coalition, including the CDU/CSU and FDP, is advocating for a Supplementary budget in 2023, aiming to suspend the debt brake.
2. Otto Fricke, an analyst, advised against this move, warning that it could lead to financial uncertainty and potential violations of budgetary rules.
3. The Federal Constitutional Court has previously ruled that such a suspension requires a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag, a hurdle that the coalition might face due to opposition from parties like the CDU.
4. Mathias Middelberg, the CDU's budget expert, further emphasized the need for the coalition to address their budgetary mistakes, suggesting a more transparent accounting technique in the future.
5. In the Ahr valley, where the budget's impact would be significantly felt, local residents voiced their concerns about the potential financial consequences of the supplementary budget and the suspension of the debt brake.
6. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has raised concerns about the long-term impact of this decision on Germany's fiscal stability and future debt levels.
7. The Green and Liberal Democrats within the Traffic light coalition have also expressed reservations about suspending the debt brake, sharing the broader Opposition's constitutional concerns.
8. As the debate continues, the FDP, the coalition's junior partner, has called for a balanced approach, highlighting the need to consider both budgetary constraints and the economic recovery post-COVID-19.

Source: www.stern.de