Merz wants to talk to Wegner about debt brake
In the dispute over the debt brake, CDU party leader Friedrich Merz wants to seek talks with Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU). "We have arranged to meet in the next few days and will talk about it," said Merz on RTL/ntv's "Frühstart" on Thursday. "The Berlin budget is in a particularly difficult situation, and we are the last ones who are not prepared to help the capital to get out of these difficulties," said Merz. But this had to be done with debt limitation and not with an "open flood of new debt". That would be unacceptable.
The two CDU politicians have different opinions on the subject. On Thursday, Merz once again spoke out against lifting the debt brake enshrined in the constitution. "We have 1000 billion euros in tax revenue in Germany, 1 trillion euros. And at the same time we have such high debts that we will have to pay 40 billion euros in interest next year."
Wegner, who is also the CDU state leader in Berlin, repeated his call for a reform of the debt brake in the magazine "Stern" this week. Alluding to a comment made by his party leader, he added: "Incidentally, as the governing mayor, I am delighted when Berlin receives so much attention in the Bundestag."
Merz mentioned the importance of assisting Berlin in overcoming its financial difficulties, focusing on debt limitation rather than an increase in debt. In the Senate, Wegner advocated for a reform of the debt brake, expressing pleasure over Berlin's attention in the Bundestag.
Source: www.dpa.com
