- SPD after the summer break to attack "Schloss Bellewüst"
Just before the end of the parliamentary summer break in North Rhine-Westphalia, SPD opposition leader Jochen Ott goes on the offensive. "I think you should prepare for the toughest budget debates in the last 20 years in the state parliament in the coming weeks due to the precarious financial situation," the 50-year-old Cologne resident announced at his first press conference after the vacation.
The black-green state government has not managed to submit its 2025 budget draft to the parliament in the past six weeks, which contradicts established practices, Ott criticized. Some considerations have already leaked and suggest that cuts are planned in social areas, among others.
The state government has not confirmed these reports but has referred to ongoing internal government consultations.
SPD annoyed by the expensive "Schloss Bellewust"
Ott nevertheless added a speculation: There is an increase of 7.5 million euros in the budget for "structural-technical safety measures for government buildings" in the supplementary budget. "The suspicion is strong," he said, that the renovation measures for the "prestigious building on the Rhine" - referring to the Düsseldorf state chancellery - "are simply being supplied with additional money through the back door." However, the SPD politician admitted: "We don't know exactly what's behind it."
Ott has already suggested a new name for the government building of Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) in light of the steadily increasing renovation costs: "Schloss Bellewust," he quipped, referring to the official residence of the federal president, Schloss Bellevue. In June, a report by the state government found that the renovation costs for the state house had increased by a further 13.5 million euros, bringing the total to around 55 million euros.
Wüst and the beautiful pictures
Wüst has resumed his official duties after the summer vacation with several pleasant public events: He received the German football champions and winners of the DFB-Pokal, Bayer Leverkusen, at the state chancellery, went on a tour of the Bergisches Land for "talks and encounters," and welcomed the German Olympic team in Cologne.
"Posing is simply not enough for a minister president," Ott snapped. Wüst, often mentioned as a potential chancellor candidate, can take that in stride. In opinion polls, his NRW CDU has even gained ground compared to the 2022 state election result, while the SPD has fallen even further below its previous low point. Notably, Wüst is no longer among the ten most important politicians and politicians in the latest ZDF Politbarometer.
At least, the head of government and the opposition leader share one dream: the Olympic Games on the Rhine and Ruhr. However, when it comes to specifics, their commonalities are quickly exhausted: "Without a change in the debt brake, there will be no Olympic Games in North Rhine-Westphalia and Germany because we simply don't have the means to bring the infrastructure up to the necessary standard," Ott complained.
However, in his view, the Ruhr region would have an ace up its sleeve compared to the Olympic magic of Paris: "The water of the Emscher is certainly cleaner than the water of the Seine."
The SPD opposition leader, Jochen Ott, critical of the CDU, suggests that the state government might be funding renovations for the prestigious state chancellery, "Schloss Bellewust," through the back door, as there's an unexpected increase of 7.5 million euros in the budget for structural-technical safety measures.
Despite the ongoing budget debates and critical stance towards the state government, including the CDU, SPD leader Ott and Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) both share the dream of hosting the Olympic Games in North Rhine-Westphalia and Germany.
