CSU: Verdict is a super disaster and heralds the end of traffic lights
Bavaria's Finance Minister Albert Füracker believes that the ruling on the unconstitutional supplementary federal budget is "a kind of super disaster". "The traffic light government is now facing a considerable budget problem through its own fault," the CSU politician told the German Press Agency in Munich on Wednesday. The court ruling is "clear, unambiguous and shows the traffic light government clear limits". Earmarked credit authorizations should not be freely misused for ideology-driven measures.
CSU General Secretary Martin Huber assessed the ruling as the resounding failure of the "sleight of hand" and "cheating policy" of Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). The entire budget planning of the traffic light coalition is therefore invalid. "Anyone who is incapable of putting together a constitutionally compliant budget is incapable of governing." In the view of CSU member of the state parliament Josef Zellmeier, Karlsruhe has heralded the end of the federal government with this ruling.
The Federal Constitutional Court had previously ruled that the federal government may not use funds intended to combat the coronavirus crisis for climate protection. The amendment to the 2021 supplementary budget was therefore unconstitutional. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag has thus successfully appealed against the reallocation. Due to the emergency situation during the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government had subsequently increased the 2021 budget by 60 billion euros in the form of a credit authorization. In such extraordinary situations, it is possible to take out loans despite the debt brake.
"Shifting government spending to various credit-financed special funds and reallocating credit authorizations on a large scale for this purpose undermines the debt brake," said Füracker. It is good that the Federal Constitutional Court has now given this practice an unmistakable and clear receipt.
Füracker pointed out that Bavaria - unlike the federal government - has "always attached importance to stability and an all-round solid state budget". "We will manage without new debt in 2023. We are operating transparently instead of undermining our budget with ever new loan-financed special funds."
- The Bundestag, as a part of the Federal Government, will need to revise its budget planning due to the unconstitutional judgments regarding the supplementary federal budget.
- The CSU, a major party in the Bundestag, views the Constitutional Court's judgments as a clear indication of the limitations of the Federal Government, especially in terms of financing processes and the misuse of credit authorizations.
- The CSU's Finance Minister, Albert Füracker, believes that the Federal Government's decision to use funds for climate protection instead of their intended purpose for combating the coronavirus crisis was a violation of the Constitution.
- This ruling could potentially impact various political parties, including the CSU, as it sets a precedent for future financial processes and the use of funds assigned for specific purposes.
Source: www.dpa.com
