Söder calls for the Chancellery extension to be stopped
In view of the budget crisis, Bavaria's Minister President Markus Söder (CSU) is calling on the federal government to implement consistent cost-cutting measures - such as the planned expansion of the Chancellery. "So if the Germans have the impression that they need to save a lot, then I think it makes sense for politicians to say that we are now pulling back on major investments," said Söder on Thursday in Ingolstadt. This could save around one billion euros.
The planned extension to the Chancellery has long been criticized. According to estimates from government circles last fall, the sandstone building with around 400 offices will cost around 177 million euros more than originally planned. When the decision to build the new building was made in 2019, the estimate was still 600 million euros.
This means that the additional building will be more expensive than the actual Chancellery building, which the then Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) moved into in 2001. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) publicly defended the new building last summer. "I believe that such long-prepared planning, which is now very advanced, must also be completed," he said. From the government's point of view, the new building is necessary because the workforce in the Chancellery has grown significantly over the past two decades.
Söder emphasized that the federal government had been explicitly warned by the federal states about the current budget situation. "This is a state crisis with an announcement," he said. He also sees potential for savings in the citizens' allowance and the heating law.
Given the budget crisis, Söder suggested that the federal government should prioritize financial restraint, potentially reducing expenditures such as the planned Chancellery extension, which could save approximately one billion euros. Critics have argued that the cost of the new Chancellery building is now expected to exceed the cost of the existing one, highlighting the need for fiscal prudence in household finances, even at the federal level.
Source: www.dpa.com
