Günther wants to make careful savings

Saving, yes, but with a sense of proportion: Minister President Daniel Günther is committed to a reliable budget policy despite bottlenecks. He is encouraged by one thing.

, and Viktoriya Miller

2023 December 28 . 6:53 AM

2 min read

Daniel Günther, Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein. Photo.aussiedlerbote.de

Prime Minister - Günther wants to make careful savings

Despite the tight budget situation, Schleswig-Holstein's Minister President Daniel Günther intends to continue to consolidate the budget cautiously and with a sense of proportion. "We will continue to handle tax revenues very carefully in the coming years," the CDU politician told the German Press Agency. This naturally includes the possibility of further savings. However, the coalition will continue to proceed responsibly and not allow any imbalances to arise. "We want to prevent anything like that."

"The black-green coalition is working together reliably and successfully," said Günther. The budget for 2024, which is challenging due to a gap of 500 million euros, was set in motion in trusting discussions. "This sets our alliance apart from others in these crisis-ridden times." There is hardly any public dispute in the state government.

Neither the CDU nor the Greens were primarily concerned with party political profiling. In principle, it is always about what is best for the country. "We are demonstrating how parties can work together harmoniously, even if they have different positions on important issues." The way the Black-Greens do politics in Kiel could be a model for federal politics. "You just have to be able to treat each other to mutual successes and always see joint compromises as a success, even if Kiel is not Berlin, of course."

Despite the pressure to make savings, Günther wants to continue to ensure investments in the future viability of the state and at the same time set priorities in the areas of education and social affairs. "In order to do justice to this, we have shifted the budget for next year in favor of these areas and distributed the savings." This is also important to him personally. "We want to move this country forward and lead it into a good future. This is only possible with a clear focus."

Günther sees challenges for the federal state, which is more than 33 billion euros in debt, particularly in the area of daycare centers. "We have been spending significantly more money on daycare centers in Schleswig-Holstein since 2017." As in the previous government, this is also a key project for the black-green coalition. "We have tripled the funds from the state budget for daycare centers in the past seven years." In 2024, there will be an increase of almost 100 million to almost 700 million euros. This shows the priorities.

"However, there is still work to be done in this area," said Günther. The state government intends to review the funding system and other provisions of the law in the coming year. If necessary, legal adjustments are to be made for 2025. "The promise is that we will make appropriate changes in 2024 and draw the right conclusions from the daycare reform so that the daycare system in Schleswig-Holstein is even better positioned."