Greenpeace: Karlsruhe ruling a setback for climate protection
According to the environmental protection organization Greenpeace, the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling on the so-called climate and transformation fund is a "bitter setback for climate protection". "The fact that the traffic light government wanted to pay for the climate-neutral transformation of the economy with financial sleight of hand from the outset is now taking its revenge," complained Martin Kaiser, Managing Director of Greenpeace Germany, in a statement on Wednesday.
Kaiser called on Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to use his policy-making powers in the face of the climate crisis. "Because we are already in the midst of the climate crisis. Loans, new taxes and the reduction of climate-damaging subsidies must not be taboos." The budget needs a better balance between military spending and more climate protection, as well as new socio-ecological instruments in financial policy.
WWF: Special funds are not enough
WWF Germany explained that the modernization and restructuring of society and the economy is such a massive task that it cannot be tackled with special funds. "This task should be structurally anchored in the federal budget, together with a formulated medium and long-term financial strategy." The organization warned: "Saving the climate and biodiversity must not fail because of the debt brake."
The Chairman of the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND), Olaf Bandt, together with the Managing Director of the Paritätischer Gesamtverband, Ulrich Schneider, emphasized: "The ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court means that many billions will be missing for essential climate projects and their socially just design." Both called for the debt brake to be suspended.
Targets not called into question
The President of the German Renewable Energy Federation, Simone Peter, said: "The task of decarbonizing our entire economy by 2045 and making the location fit for the future is not called into question by the ruling and remains in place." She referred to an earlier ruling on this.
Following the Karlsruhe ruling, Green parliamentary group leaders Britta Haßelmann and Katharina Dröge underlined the importance of the affected programs. "The programs of the Climate and Transformation Fund are extremely important for climate protection, relieving the burden on citizens and a sustainable economic policy. They are at the heart of this coalition's policy," the politicians explained in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The parliamentary group leaders announced that the consequences of the ruling would be carefully examined and that the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court would of course be observed. "At the same time, it is important that consultations on the 2024 budget continue and that the budget can enter into force as planned. We have discussed this together with the leaders of the SPD and FDP parliamentary groups."
The Federal Constitutional Court had declared a reallocation of 60 billion euros in the 2021 budget to be unconstitutional. The federal government is therefore not allowed to use funds intended to combat the coronavirus crisis for climate protection. The amendment to the supplementary budget is unconstitutional, Germany's highest court ruled in Karlsruhe on Wednesday. It was about the effectiveness of the debt brake, said the presiding judge of the Second Senate, Doris König. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag has thus successfully brought an action against the restructuring. (Ref. 2 BvF 1/22)
- The Federal Government's plan to finance the climate-neutral transformation of the economy using financial maneuvers has been critiqued by the Bundestag, as it necessitates a better balance between military spending and climate protection.
- The Chairman of the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) and the Managing Director of the Paritätischer Gesamtverband have advocated for the suspension of the debt brake, as saving the climate and biodiversity should not be impeded by budgetary constraints.
- According to the WWF Germany, the modernization and restructuring of society and the economy is such a substantial task that it cannot be accomplished with special funds; instead, it should be structurally integrated into the federal budget with a long-term financial strategy.
- The Green parliamentary group leaders have emphasized the significance of the programs in the Climate and Transformation Fund, which are crucial for climate protection, burden relief, and sustainable economic policy, and have pledged to examine the consequences of the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling carefully.
Source: www.dpa.com
