CDU minister fears damper for the east
The German budget crisis is damaging Germany's reputation abroad, believes Saxony-Anhalt's Economics Minister Schulze. The CDU politician believes that the upturn in the east in particular is at risk due to the billion-euro shortfall.
Saxony-Anhalt's Economics Minister Sven Schulze believes that the coalition government is facing a crisis of legitimacy. "This federal government has lost the trust of a large majority," the CDU politician told the "Tagesspiegel" newspaper. "I hear bewilderment about what is happening in Berlin in almost every conversation." You only have to look at the parties' poll ratings.
The current budget crisis is also being felt abroad. "We are no longer the European beacon there as we used to be, but are once again perceived as the sick man of Europe," said Schulze. He had experienced this on his trips to Asia. "International investors will now ask themselves twice whether Germany is still a reliable partner after these budget trickeries," said Schulze. After two "extremely good years" of upswing, he sees this as a danger for the east of Germany: "We are facing a considerable setback in the east."
At the same time, Schulze called for a reduction in expenditure: "We don't have a revenue problem, but an explosion in expenditure," said Schulze. The policy of the traffic light government, which wants to solve political problems with money, is to blame for this. The CDU man, who is also the state leader of his party in Saxony-Anhalt, also questions the pace of the energy transition. "We also have to look at what we can still afford and therefore look at the Climate Act," demands Schulze.
"The pace of the energy transition is not affordable"
The rapid ecological transition is only working because the state is "massively supporting citizens and companies with subsidies". Schulze spoke of amounts in the double-digit billions which, following the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court, are unclear as to where they will come from in future. "The very high speed of the transformation process in the energy transition must be questioned. Many people and companies are currently overwhelmed," said Schulze. "This is jeopardizing the prosperity of our country."
Schulze did not rule out a reform of the debt brake. However, he said: "Before we take the easiest path of all - namely creating more debt - we should examine all other options in detail." We must now look at where we can increase revenue and cut expenditure. "This will be a painful process over the next few years, but we have to go through it," said Schulze.
Read also:
- The budget crisis in Germany, as highlighted by Saxony-Anhalt's Economics Minister Sven Schulze, is causing concern in eastern Germany, such as Saxony-Anhalt, due to its potential impact on the region's upturn, which is at risk due to the billion-euro shortfall.
- The Federal Constitutional Court's ruling on energy transition subsidies is a concern for Schulze, as the unclear future funding might hinder the rapid ecological transition in eastern Germany, which is heavily reliant on state support.
- Despite the current budget crisis, Saxony-Anhalt's CDU Minister Sven Schulze advocates for fiscal responsibility, urging the Federal Government to consider reducing expenditure and increasing revenue, rather than relying on increased debt, to ensure a sustainable budgetary policy in eastern Germany, aligned with the interests of the CDU party.
Source: www.ntv.de
