Schwesig wants the federal government to contribute half of the D-Ticket
Ahead of consultations between the federal states and the federal government on the future of the Deutschlandticket, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Minister President Manuela Schwesig (SPD) insists that the federal government will continue to share 50% of the costs. "It is clear that we share the costs equally between the federal and state governments, so it must also be clear that if we have cost increases for the Deutschlandticket, and we do, that we will continue to share this equally," said Schwesig on Friday in Schwerin. This is still an open point.
The federal government had previously dampened expectations of additional financial commitments. On Friday in Berlin, government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit referred to arrangements already made with the Conference of Minister Presidents regarding the financing of the ticket. The federal government had also agreed to share additional costs on a one-off basis. Under the budgetary conditions under which the federal government is now operating, he believes it is "not entirely straightforward" to make this one-off sum, which the federal government had initiated "as a midwife", permanent.
This Monday, the state premiers also want to talk to Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) about further commitments by the federal government to finance the 49-euro ticket. According to an agreement reached in November 2022, the federal and state governments will each contribute 1.5 billion euros in 2023 and 2024 to compensate transport companies for the loss of revenue caused by the low-cost ticket. As agreed for the introductory year 2023, the federal states are also demanding a commitment from the federal government to bear half of any additional costs for 2024.
The federal government's contribution to the additional costs of the Deutschlandticket, as requested by the federal states, involves shares in both traffic and railroad expenses. Despite the financial challenges, the government spokesperson acknowledged the federal government's initial role in initiating the ticket's funding, implying a commitment to maintaining support.
Source: www.dpa.com
