Claim from Southern Germany - CSU: Steinmeier must end the continuing fight of the traffic lights
CSU believes that Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier should intervene in the disputes among the coalition parties in the federal government. "It is necessary for Federal President Steinmeier to address the coalition crisis openly and act as a mediator," said CSU General Secretary Martin Huber in Munich. He should call on the parties to return to government work and end the dispute.
Huber emphasized that it cannot continue like this until the next federal election. "And if even the Federal President cannot solve this dispute, then it is also his task to make it clear to the Chancellor: The coalition is at an end, it cannot continue like this. If there is no solution now, the vote of confidence is inevitable."
The coalition has been arguing publicly for weeks
The coalition in Berlin has been arguing publicly for weeks over the federal budget. After SPD leader Lars Klingbeil demanded a quick agreement on Sunday, the FDP then demanded a reduction in the citizen's allowance.
Last week, the dispute over the 2025 budget was reignited. The background is three projects that were supposed to reduce the financing gap in the budget for the coming year. After Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) commissioned expert opinions due to legal and economic concerns and found them legally risky, Scholz declared the opposite on vacation.
By mid-August, Scholz, Lindner, and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) will again be seeking solutions. Then, the draft budget will be submitted to the Bundestag, which needs a lot of time for deliberation. Lindner put the still-to-be-closed financing gap at five billion euros.
The SPD, being a part of the coalition government in Berlin, has been involved in the ongoing disputes over the federal budget. If the current impasse continues, it might fall upon the Federal President to intervene and stress the need for the coalition parties to find a resolution, as suggested by CSU General Secretary Martin Huber.
Despite the efforts of the coalition parties to resolve the dispute over the 2025 budget, including meetings scheduled for mid-August, the lack of agreement and the five billion euro financing gap remain pressing concerns for the SPD, FDP, and Greens.
