Federal Budget - Development aid representatives criticize budget cuts
Humanitarian organizations criticize the planned cuts in the development budget of the traffic light government and warn of growing influence of Russia and China. "This proposal sends the wrong signal to people in the global south who despite all adversities want to change something for their families and communities," said the president of Welthungerhilfe, Marlehn Thieme, to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). "We are thereby opening up larger influence opportunities for other countries like China or Russia in regions that should be important to us."
The draft budget for 2025, which is to be decided in the cabinet on a Wednesday, then goes to the Bundestag, where it can still be changed and is supposed to be passed shortly before the end of the year. The budget negotiations were particularly tough this year. Cuts had to be made above all to the Foreign Office, the Economy Ministry, and, of course, the Development Ministry.
Stephan Exo-Kreischer, European director of the development organization ONE, accused the coalition of short-sighted and contradictory politics. "The German government practices self-sabotage," he said. "This budget means the foreign and development policy downgrading of Germany." Berlin's budget plans played into the hands of Moscow and Beijing, whom they wanted to challenge geopolitically. "Instead, we are saving exactly in investments in partner countries where Russia and China are expanding," said the president of Bread for the World, Dagmar Pruin, demanding parliamentary intervention. "It is the task of the Bundestag to prevent the planned cuts in the coming weeks and to set priorities correctly again."
Criticism of the budget came also from the Union faction in the parliament. The development policy spokesman of the CDU/CSU, Volkmar Klein, told RND: "The government's called-for 'turning point' in foreign policy must mean that we take responsibility and do not leave a vacuum. The cuts in development cooperation are not the right way." It is correct that the Development Ministry should also contribute to budget consolidation, but the cuts go too far. "At the latest, when, due to cutbacks or missing support in refugee camps and reception centers, more refugees come to Germany, it will be clear that too much was cut from the development budget."
- The criticism towards the traffic light government's development budget cuts extends beyond Germany, with Editorial Network Germany joining the chorus, expressing concerns about the potential impact on the global south.
- The planned budget cut for Hunger Aid, a critical sector under the Development Ministry, has sparked concern among lawmakers in the Federal Parliament, including the Union faction represented by Volkmar Klein.
- The Federal government's budget proposal, which includes significant reductions to development aid, has garnered attention from global powers like Russia and China, who could potentially fill the void created by Germany's withdrawal.
- In the heart of Europe's political landscape, Berlin's cabinet is the cornerstone of decision-making, proposing a budget that has sparked controversy, both domestically and internationally, affecting the country's stance on global affairs.
- The Federal Parliament, the ultimate authority in finance matters, now faces the challenge of revisiting and potentially reshaping the 2025 budget, to preserve Germany's commitment to improving global living conditions through development aid organizations like Hunger Aid.
- China, increasingly prominent on the world stage, will closely watch Germany's budget cuts, as any reduction in Financial aid and cooperation could provide them an opportunity to expand their influence in regions where they currently hold little sway.
- The proposed budget cut by the Federal government has ruffled feathers within the ranks of Assistance Organization ONE, who fear that such moves will tarnish Germany's standing in the international community and potentially strengthen the hand of adversaries like Russia.
