No peace between government and opposition

Budget debate - No peace between government and opposition

The rifts between the black-green coalition and the opposition in North Rhine-Westphalia could hardly be deeper at the moment. In the general debate on the state's record budget, which lasted several hours, the SPD, FDP and AfD were ruthless in their reckoning with CDU Minister President Hendrik Wüst on Wednesday.

Wüst's offer to form a democratic "alliance of the center" to tackle major challenges such as migration, wars and the energy transition was countered by FDP parliamentary group leader Henning Höne with cool words: "The prerequisite for an alliance of the center is that the arrogance of power does not stand in the way, as is the case with this coalition."

Head of government Wüst campaigned in vain: "In difficult times, what we have in common must be greater than what divides us." Most people perceive the current situation as a permanent crisis. It was no wonder that "crisis mode" was the word of the year. SPD opposition leader Jochen Ott reproached Wüst: "Spare us your Christmas kitsch about cohesion, community and cookies for single parents." Instead, Wüst should make a clear commitment to the minimum wage and citizens' income. "You already think you're on your way to federal politics," said Ott. For Wüst, the office of Minister President is "just a career station, of which nothing should be remembered - except your Instagram account".

Record budget despite austerity measures

At the end of the speech marathon, the state parliament passed a record budget of more than 100 billion euros for 2024 for the first time, against the votes of the collected opposition with the black-green government majority. With a volume of 102.1 billion euros, the budget is 7.4 billion euros higher than the 2023 budget.

The top priority for the CDU and Greens is the educational opportunities of children and young people, said Wüst. That is why no savings would be made there. The state is funding the expansion of daycare places and is continuing the everyday helpers program with 140 million euros. After the federal government withdrew from funding the language daycare centers, the state has now stepped in.

More than 38 billion euros have been earmarked in the 2024 budget for education alone. The state's interest expenditure will increase by one billion to 3.8 billion euros compared to 2023. Around three billion euros have been budgeted for refugees.

Debt brake will be adhered to

Despite the planned record expenditure, the state has to make savings in many areas. This is due to the sluggish economy, rising interest rates and tax revenues that are 150 million euros lower than planned. There will be no cuts in the social sector, said Wüst.

In order to achieve a budget without net new borrowing, the black-green coalition wants to withdraw more than 300 million euros from the pension fund in 2024 and also siphon off 150 million euros from the state-owned Bau- und Liegenschaftsbetrieb NRW (BLB) for the first time.

The debt brake is to be adhered to again in 2024, after the ban on net new borrowing was also suspended several times in NRW due to the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. On December 31 of this year, the credit-financed special fund of five billion euros to deal with the consequences of the war in Ukraine will also come to an end. "We are thrifty - just as many people are thrifty at this time," said Wüst.

SPD wants to make the rich pay

SPD parliamentary group leader Jochen Ott called for higher taxes on the rich to finance education and investment costs. A joint Bundesrat initiative must be launched to reform inheritance tax for assets worth millions and billions.

In NRW, around 22,000 people demonstrated in October for the preservation of social infrastructure such as daycare centers and all-day schooling. It was the largest protest against a state government in NRW for decades. "Because the CDU and Greens are not prepared to provide sufficient funding for daycare centers and all-day schools," said Ott.

Green parliamentary group leader Verena Schäffer replied to Ott that SPD demands for an investment package worth billions for schools, daycare centers and hospitals were not constitutional due to the debt brake. And there is currently no majority at federal level for a reform of inheritance tax. "So this is a dead end."

Wüst's "feel-good appointments"

FDP leader Henning Höne accused Finance Minister Marcus Optendrenk of being a "budgetary shell game". Optendrenk only managed to balance the budget through "camouflage, trickery and deception".

The black-green energy and economic policy was an attack on jobs and prosperity in NRW. The CDU and Greens had brought forward the coal phase-out in NRW by eight years to 2030 - without any concrete ideas for implementation. Now the federal government should fix it. This is "the Wüst method", said Höne: "Let others deal with the consequences of my policies." NRW is sinking economically, only the popularity ratings of the Minister President are going up, said the FDP leader. Wüst was "all about representation and feel-good appointments". For him, federalism is a "years-long campaign for a chancellor candidacy".

AfD party and parliamentary group leader Martin Vincentz also said that the budget in the state, like that of the federal government, stood on feet of clay. Both would have to "resort to all sorts of tricks and gimmicks to somehow achieve the black zero".

Press release Budget Act