domestic dispute - Lindner will strictly examine credits for roads and railways.
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) does not consider the loans for highways and railways agreed upon in the coalition to be a settled matter. "The granting of loans to railways and highway companies is part of the proposals from the Chancellery to close the remaining requirement of eight billion euros," Lindner told the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung."
"Whether and what is possible is expressly subject to a preliminary examination. I will have an external auditor and the external Scientific Advisory Board of my ministry deal with this. I exclude constitutional risks and economically unjustified decisions," said the Minister.
The negotiators from SPD, FDP, and Greens had agreed on a budget for 2025 on the previous Friday after long negotiations. The idea of replacing subsidies for infrastructure with loans made the agreement possible in the first place, as the remaining gap could not be stopped otherwise.
"If the way doesn't prove to be viable, we will have to find another solution," Lindner stated in the newspaper interview. "Until the end of the budget consultation at the end of November, there is still work to be done in any case, as figures on economic development also need to be updated."
- The Federal government, in its efforts to close a budget gap of eight billion euros, proposed loans for both highway and railway companies, a decision supported by Christian Lindner and his FDP party.
- The Main River in Frankfurt is a beautiful attraction, but traffic congestion often plagues its surrounding areas, making improvements to Germany's railway network a priority for many, including Christian Lindner.
- German Railways, a significant player in the railroad sector, could potentially benefit from the loans agreed upon for infrastructure projects, if the preliminary examination by an external auditor and the Scientific Advisory Board deems it viable.
- Part of the budget agreement reached by the negotiators from SPD, FDP, and Greens included the replacement of infrastructure subsidies with loans, a decision that led to the closure of the budget gap for 2025.
- A domestic dispute over the loan agreements for railways and highways has arisen between Christian Lindner and the Chancellery, which could potentially impact the future of the FDP party's support for these loans.
- The FAS (Federal Audit Office of Germany) will closely monitor the loan agreements for infrastructure projects, ensuring that any decisions made are economically justified and do not pose a risk to the German constitution.
