SPD party conference dominated by the budget crisis

Parties - SPD party conference dominated by the budget crisis

The first SPD party conference in two years begins on Friday in Berlin with the regular election of the leadership team. Lars Klingbeil and Saskia Esken are running again as the dual leadership, Kevin Kühnert as General Secretary. The re-election of the leadership trio by the approximately 600 delegates is considered certain. However, difficult substantive debates are expected at the three-day party conference.

In his speech on Saturday, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz will have to explain why he has not yet found a solution with the Greens and FDP on how to plug the 17 billion euro hole in the 2024 budget. And the government's course on migration goes against the grain of the left wing of the party.

However, the start of the party conference is likely to be harmonious for the time being. The Esken/Klingbeil duo is firmly in the saddle at the top of the party and does not have to worry about being re-elected. The same applies to General Secretary Kühnert. The three want to lead the SPD into the next parliamentary election campaign together - whenever that may be.

Scholz faces difficult party conference speech

The historic ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court on budget management has led the coalition government of the SPD, FDP and Greens into difficult waters and prompted calls from the CDU/CSU for a new Bundestag election. The negotiations on the 2024 budget have not yet produced a breakthrough before the party conference.

A difficult situation for Scholz, who will probably have to address the 600 delegates on Saturday without a finished budget plan in his pocket. The SPD leadership is in favour of suspending the debt brake in 2024, opposes the social cuts demanded by the FDP and cuts in investments and instead sympathizes with tax increases. It is quite possible that the largest governing party will send its chancellor some messages that will make further negotiations more difficult.

The Jusos sharply criticized the impasse in the budget negotiations ahead of the party conference. "The fact that the budget for 2024 will no longer be decided this year is a slap in the face for all the people who are suffering from the current crises," their chairman Philipp Türmer told the German Press Agency. "It would have been the Ampel's chance to prove the coalition's ability to act and give people in the country security for Christmas."

Migration motion aims to dampen discontent from the left wing

Another contentious issue at the party conference is likely to be migration policy. The SPD leadership wants to appease critics of the government's course on the issue with a compromise motion. Among other things, it supports the controversial sea rescue of refugees in the Mediterranean and calls for the reunification of family members of refugees to be made easier.

Although Türmer welcomed the concessions made by the party leadership, "it is questionable whether this will be enough to mend the rifts of recent months," he said.

In recent weeks, the government's course on migration policy had caused some resentment on the left wing of the SPD. It was sparked in particular by a statement made by the Chancellor in an interview with "Der Spiegel": "We must finally deport those who have no right to stay in Germany on a large scale." The Jusos leadership had criticized this as a demand "straight out of the vocabulary of the right-wing mob".

Three further key motions to be adopted

Three further key motions on the modernization of Germany, the repositioning of foreign policy and education policy are to be adopted at the party conference. The motion on modernizing the country proposes reducing income tax for 95% of the population. In return, the rich are to be asked to pay more through a temporary "crisis levy", among other things. The SPD also wants to relax the debt brake, increase the minimum wage and invest 100 billion euros annually in education, infrastructure, digitalization and the restructuring of industry.