Traffic light leaders continue to seek solution in dispute over 2024 budget
According to the Bild newspaper, a financial gap of more than ten billion euros still needs to be closed after days of negotiations between Chancellor Olaf Scholz(SPD), Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens).
Lindner had put the gap in the 2024 budget at 17 billion euros following the Federal Constitutional Court's budget ruling. According to SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert, however, a further 13 billion euros would be added if the financial gap in the Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF) is also to be closed as a result of the Karlsruhe ruling. This fund is used to finance key energy transition projects.
The "Bild" newspaper also put the total amount at 30 billion euros. Scholz, Lindner and Habeck have so far raised or saved "well under 20 billion euros" in funding, the newspaper reported, citing coalition circles.
"The willingness to quickly agree on a list of measures is there," said deputy FDP parliamentary group leader Lukas Köhler to Bild. But there is "no threat of the end of the world if the state budget is not ready until mid-January". This would lead to provisional budget management with restrictions on new projects from the beginning of January.
SPD chairman Lars Klingbeil was optimistic about an agreement. He said on Monday evening on the program "RTL Direkt" that he was "confident that we really will fill this serious gap in the budget somehow in the next few days".
When asked whether this would also include savings in social areas, Klingbeil conceded: "We know that we as the SPD have to make our contribution. In other words, things that are important to us. (...) Of course, savings have to be made for everyone."
At its federal party conference at the weekend, the SPD called for the debt brake to be suspended in 2024 due to the financial shortfall. They want to justify this with the consequences of the Ukraine crisis. However, Lindner's FDP has so far opposed such a move and is focusing on savings.
CDU Secretary General Carsten Linnemann backed Finance Minister Lindner. He is "a man of principle", he told the broadcasters RTL and ntv. Lindner would not allow tax increases and would stick to the debt brake. "That's why the FDP is an important little corrective in this traffic light government." However, the coalition is built on sand and is only held together by money. "And now the whole house of cards is collapsing."
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Source: www.stern.de
