Rehlinger on transformation: Federal government's pledge must apply
According to Saarland Minister President Anke Rehlinger (SPD), the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court on the 2021 budget of the Berlin traffic light must not jeopardize the promised future investments in Saarland. "A clear German principle: the federal government's promises must apply," she said on Friday at a Saar SPD state party conference in Völklingen. The 47-year-old is standing for re-election as SPD state leader.
The investments are about the future of the steel industry, the establishment of a large chip factory in Ensdorf and the hydrogen infrastructure. The Karlsruhe ruling now means: "We now have a maximum hard debt brake," said Rehlinger. "And at the same time, we are still facing huge challenges to restructure the business location, especially in industry here in Germany."
The steel industry in the Saar region is still waiting for the urgently needed billion-euro funding commitment from the federal government for the conversion to the production of green steel. "What we simply need for green steel is a green light. One from Berlin, one from Brussels," she said.
On Wednesday, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the use of coronavirus loans for climate projects was unconstitutional. The ruling tears a 60 billion euro hole in the financing of the German government's climate projects.
Rehlinger has been Chairwoman of the Saarland SPD since March 2018 and was last confirmed in office in November 2021. As Minister President, Rehlinger has led an SPD all-party government in Saarland since April 2022.
Despite the Constitutional Court's ruling limiting the federal government's spending on climate projects, Rehlinger emphasizes the importance of the SPD maintaining its promises for future investments in Saarland's steel industry, party infrastructure, and hydrogen infrastructure. The Saarland SPD leader, standing for re-election, calls for a green light from Berlin and Brussels to secure the necessary funding for transitioning to green steel production.
Source: www.dpa.com
