The Socialist Party leader Esken called Lindner's behaviour in the budget dispute "inappropriate"
In a domestic dispute, SPD leader Saskia Esken has accused Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner of damaging the traffic light government for party political reasons. Lindner, she said in the ZDF "Morning Magazine", had gone public with his criticism of the draft budget instead of first speaking to Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "That's improper and it serves his own profiling." Such action, she said, "again damages the government".
Lindner's ministry had published constitutional concerns from experts about funding methods for the 2025 budget last week and demanded renegotiations on the budget. On Sunday, Lindner said in the ZDF "Summer Interview" that there was a gap in the budget of around "five billion euros" in his view.
Lindner, Esken said, had apparently tried to prepare his summer interview with the publication of the concerns about the budget "instead of speaking to the government, instead of speaking to the Chancellor". However, the SPD leader ruled out a breakup of the coalition: "In politics, one has responsibility for the country and sits together and finds a solution," she said. "And that's what we'll do."
Esken mentioned the 14th of August several times in the interview as the deadline by which an agreement should be reached at the government level. By then, she said, Lindner, Scholz, and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) would find a solution "and then submit the draft budget to parliament". The draft budget is scheduled to be debated in the Bundestag from September. The goal is still to pass it by the end of November.
Lindner's actions, as Esken pointed out, have continued to damage the government's unity and cohesion, as they undermined the traditional process of internal discussions before making public criticisms. The persistent controversy over the budget could potentially lead to significant financial consequences, further exacerbating existing damage to the government.
