Dozens of projects in Hamburg at risk due to budget crisis
Dozens of projects with a funding volume in the billions are also at risk in Hamburg due to the federal budget crisis. In its response to minor questions from the Left and AfD in the parliament, the Senate lists a total of 36 projects that could be affected by the temporary budget freeze. David Stoop, budget policy spokesperson for the Left Party in parliament, spoke of a "list of horrors". "The city's biggest and most important future projects are now in doubt," he told the German Press Agency.
The Senate has not yet been able to say what will become of the planned federal funds that have not yet been secured by a legally valid funding decision. It also said that "any necessary decisions on the part of the Senate regarding previously planned joint financing of projects with the federal government can only be made once the federal government has completed the revision of the KTF business plan".
According to the Senate's response, in addition to the planned large-scale electrolyzer for green hydrogen in Moorburg - according to the Senate, the federal government should bear 70 percent of the planned investment of 152 million euros here alone - other projects for the use of hydrogen in industry are also affected, including funding for emission-free flying amounting to 43.4 million euros or funds for the expansion of the shore power infrastructure in the port amounting to 74 million euros.
Stoop warned that "we cannot postpone this conversion" if Hamburg wants to keep up economically, secure jobs socially in the long term and convert its industry ecologically. However, it is not only major projects for green technology and the ecological restructuring of the economy that are affected, but also projects in completely different areas.
According to the Senate, numerous projects in the city's seven districts could be affected by the federal funding now in question. For example, the construction of a new teaching pool in Wandsbek, the renovation of the Wehbers Park playhouse in Eimsbüttel or energy-efficient renovations in the district offices.
The Senate must now urgently explain "how it intends to save these projects if less money than expected comes from the federal government", said Stoop.
He also criticized the debt brake, which was "a bad idea" from the outset. The federal government had tried to cheat its way past the debt brake with the Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF) and the Economic Stabilization Fund (WSF). "At the latest now that this tricky circumvention of the debt brake for sustainable investments is no longer possible, it must go - both at federal level and in Hamburg," he demanded.
The Federal Constitutional Court had declared the reallocation of 60 billion euros in the 2021 federal budget null and void. The money had been approved as a coronavirus loan, but was subsequently to be used for climate protection and modernizing the economy. At the same time, the judges ruled that the state may not reserve emergency loans for later years. As a result, further billions of euros for future projects are at risk.
Hamburg's Finance Senator Andreas Dressel (SPD) had already emphasized last week: "In view of the dramatic budget situation, it will not be possible to compensate for the loss of federal funds from the Hamburg budget."
The budget crisis at the federal level has also put household finances of many Hamburg residents in uncertainty, as various social welfare programs and subsidies are funded jointly by the federal government. The Senate's response to the budget crisis also mentions potential cuts to funding for energy-efficient renovations in district offices, which could impact household energy costs.
The ongoing debate about the debt brake and its impact on funds such as the Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF) and the Economic Stabilization Fund (WSF) has raised concerns among advocates of financial support for household expenses, particularly those aimed at reducing energy costs and promoting climate protection initiatives.
Source: www.dpa.com
