Haseloff and Kretschmer shake up the debt brake
Berlin's governing mayor is getting support: contrary to the party leadership's line, the CDU state leaders of Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt are also in favor of reforming the debt brake. So far, this has mainly been a wish of the SPD and the Greens.
Calls for a reform of the debt brake are also growing louder among the CDU state premiers. Following Berlin's governing mayor Kai Wegner, the Minister Presidents of Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony, Reiner Haseloff and Michael Kretschmer, have now also spoken out in favor of reform. Previously, the Greens and the SPD in particular had called for such a reform. "The debt brake must remain. But constitutionally compliant options must be found for very important future investments in business, technology and science," Haseloff told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. Haseloff wants to see the debt brake suspended for the year 2024 by declaring an emergency - a demand that has so far been made primarily by the SPD.
Saxony's Minister President Kretschmer expressed similar views to Haseloff. If the federal government is prepared to implement real austerity measures, "then we must help", he told the "FAS". At the end of a joint process, "there could then be a pact for Germany - and perhaps a discussion about changing the debt brake".
Kretschmer sees the situation as dramatic following the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court. What the traffic light coalition has brought upon the country could "paralyze Germany for decades", he said. And this could "shake the foundations" of trust in the state and democracy.
Polls in Saxony show AfD in the lead
Kretschmer, who faces state elections in September 2024, believes that a joint solution is necessary to prevent extremist forces from gaining strength. "Because if we democrats don't find a solution together, it will make the extremists stronger," he said. In polls, the AfD is currently the strongest force in Saxony.
Kretschmer said that the federal government's necessary austerity measures now include not increasing social spending any further. "We must therefore not pay out billions more in citizens' benefits to people who don't want to work," he said. It was also unacceptable "that we spend half a billion on the administration of the new basic child benefit alone". If the federal government accepts this, then the CDU/CSU will help "to create the financial leeway that is needed".
Reiner Haseloff, the Minister President of Saxony, has advocated for the suspension of the debt brake in 2024 through declaring an emergency, a suggestion primarily backed by the SPD. Michael Kretschmer, his counterpart in Saxony-Anhalt, shares this view, emphasizing the need for joint action to prevent extremist forces. The call for debt brake reform has been echoed by many, even by CDU state leaders who opposed it initially, following the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court which has raised doubts about the future of the country's budget policy.
Source: www.ntv.de
