Scholz's double whammy also in the Union's sights
The climate fund overturned by the Federal Constitutional Court is not the only special fund of the German government. The CDU/CSU is currently examining another lawsuit against the 200-billion-euro economic fund. Chancellor Scholz used the WTS to finance the energy price brakes after the start of the war in Ukraine.
Following the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling against the KTF climate fund, other special government funds are coming under scrutiny. Due to the judge's ruling, the coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP could not pass the final budget in the responsible Bundestag committee by the weekend as planned. Next Tuesday, experts are to be consulted on the consequences of the ruling before further decisions are made.
The CDU/CSU, which has already successfully filed a lawsuit in Karlsruhe against the Climate Fund KTF, now has its sights set primarily on the Economic Stabilization Fund (WSF). Similar to the climate fund, the Ampel created a financial cushion here when the debt brake was still suspended due to an emergency. It should be possible to use this in later years, even though the debt brake will already be in force again. The CDU/CSU is therefore considering another lawsuit and is currently having a legal opinion drawn up. According to coalition and government circles, this is being taken very seriously within the coalition. There are dangerous parallels, they say. What exactly is the WSF?
How long has the WSF existed?
The so-called special fund was created in March 2020 as a subsidiary budget when the coronavirus pandemic spread in Germany and the first lockdowns were imposed. The funds were intended to mitigate the economic and social consequences of the exceptional situation. The fund initially had a volume of 600 billion euros, mainly with guarantees and sureties, but this was never exhausted.
Reactivated for a different purpose
The WSF was actually supposed to be discontinued as the pandemic eased. However, the Russian attack on Ukraine then caused the next crisis, with energy prices soaring in the meantime. The WSF was reactivated for a different purpose. Since November 2022, it has also been used to finance measures to mitigate the energy crisis. The pot was filled with up to 200 billion euros. Expenditure is limited until June 30, 2024.
What will the money be used for?
The additional funds are subject to earmarking. They will be used to finance the gas and electricity price brakes for households and companies. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz described this aid as a "double whammy". Companies such as the gas importer Uniper, which were on the verge of collapse during the energy crisis, were also bailed out with WSF funds.
100 billion still left
At the end of 2023, the unspent funds in the WSF should still amount to over 100 billion euros. This has already triggered calls from the Greens to reallocate the remaining funds and use them for other purposes. However, the judges in Karlsruhe are likely to have put an end to such considerations.
In response to the Federal Constitutional Court's critique of the Climate Fund, the CDU/CSU is now considering filing a lawsuit against the Economic Stabilization Fund (WSF) due to its similar creation during a debt suspension period. The WSF, established in March 2020 to mitigate the economic effects of the pandemic, was later reactivated to finance energy relief measures and is now under scrutiny for potential debt dispute issues.
Source: www.ntv.de
