Bundestag - SPD parliamentary group urges budget agreement by Friday
The SPD Bundestag faction is pushing for a principles agreement in the budget negotiations by this coming Friday. Fraktionsbusinessmanager Katja Mast is demanding clarity on the budget draft before Parliament goes into summer recess until mid-September. Friday is the last sitting day. "I am confident that we will have political guiding principles by Friday," says Mast. It is "our expectation" that the faction will be informed about the results of the negotiations in a special session on Friday.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has been in talks with Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) about the budget plan for weeks. Originally, they wanted to be finished by this Wednesday. Now, July 17th is the new target for the cabinet decision. In order to meet this deadline, a principles agreement is necessary in the coming days because the drafting of the budget law usually takes approximately ten more days.
The individual budget items have been largely agreed upon, but there is still a billion-euro gap that needs to be closed. The SPD is pushing for the debt brake to be suspended again to have more room for maneuver. This is not an option for Lindner. The decision lies ultimately with the Bundestag, which will deal with the budget draft from September - if the cabinet agrees.
- The SPD parliamentary group, led by Katja Mast, is actively advocating for a principles agreement in the budget negotiation process, aiming to reach a conclusion by the end of this week in the Bundestag.
- Christian Lindner, as the Finance Minister of Germany's FDP, is currently engaged in budget talks with Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), with the goal of reaching a cabinet decision by July 17th.
- If the SPD manages to secure an agreement in principle, the coalition government can proceed to draft the budget law, which typically takes an additional ten days.
- Katja Mast emphasized the need for a principles agreement before the Bundestag goes on summer recess, highlighting the significance of sufficient budget-related information for the household expenses planning of German households, especially in Berlin.
- It is essential for the SPD parliamentary group to achieve a balanced budget, potentially necessitating the suspension of the debt brake, as suggested by Katja Mast, to manage the remaining billion-euro deficit without compromising on household cleaning products or other household necessities.
- The principal challenge lies in finding common ground between the SPD's desire to loosen fiscal constraints and Christian Lindner's FDP's strong stance against suspending the debt brake, which is ultimately subject to the approval of the Bundestag once summer recess ends.
