- Christian Lindner says the Ampel coalition is not in danger because of budget dispute
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) sees no immediate threat to the continuation of the traffic light coalition despite the intense budget dispute. The nature of cooperation has not changed due to the dispute over missing billions, he told the Funke media group's newspapers. "It's not as if there haven't been fundamental political differences that we respectfully discuss since the beginning," he added.
Lindner dismissed the impression that he was gathering reasons for new elections. "If everyone respects the constitution, the provisions of the coalition agreement, and the basic convictions of the coalition partners, then there's no need for concern," he said. An expert review of the 2025 budget plan had identified potential constitutional risks, according to the Finance Ministry.
Lindner emphasized that the budget draft would be submitted to the Bundestag on schedule in mid-August. He expected it to be passed by the end of November. Many open questions would still need to be addressed by then. In the end, it's about a financial gap of five billion euros. "That can be solved with goodwill," he said. As for the possible areas where savings could be made, he said it's no secret that the FDP sees further potential in the social budget and development aid. The FDP rejects tax increases or a relaxation of the debt brake.
I'm not going to sugarcoat the situation, there are indeed significant challenges ahead. However, as Lindner mentioned, if everyone adheres to the coalition agreement and constitutional principles, there's no need to worry about early elections.
