Business as usual not possible
Lindner launches new call for austerity in budget negotiations
May 11, 2024, 3:03 a.m
They are increasingly developing into a major traffic light dispute, the negotiations for the 2025 federal budget. The Federal Finance Minister is once again calling on the ministries to keep an eye on the scope of their demands. Above all, he questions the demands of the Development Ministry and the Foreign Office.
In the budget dispute, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner has called on the Foreign Office and the Development Ministry to review the meaning and accuracy of their spending policy. Both have to ask themselves the question: “Are we really improving life chances with our tax money or are the projects serving German interests,” Lindner told the newspapers of the Bavaria media group.
“In international politics, hard security and support for Ukraine must have priority. This is about peace and freedom for Germany,” said the Finance Minister. Therefore, when it comes to money for other parts of the world, we need to talk about targeting and scope. “Since the CSU Development Minister (Gerd) Müller, there have been projects like the famous cycle paths in Peru that need to be questioned.” At this point it should be noted: The development aid for Peru, which does not only relate to cycle paths, is mainly financed through loans, so the money comes back.
The traffic light coalition is facing difficult negotiations for the 2025 federal budget. Lindner has called on the ministries to save money, but several departments are demanding more money, including Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Development Minister Svenja Schulze. On Tuesday, Lindner briefly stopped the cabinet’s discussion of the second pension package that had already been negotiated. According to media reports, Labor Minister Hubertus Heil made particularly high demands in the negotiations on the 2025 budget.
“Business as usual was not possible for me. The registrations for the 2025 federal budget did not give the impression that everyone had recognized the economic realities,” said Lindner. “That’s why I first had to check with the Chancellor and the Economics Minister whether we were still on the same page.” When asked, the FDP leader assured that he had “never” threatened to break up the coalition. “But it is clear to everyone that an agreement on a budget and an economic turnaround are necessary so that projects like the pension package can ultimately find a majority in the Bundestag.”
The topic “Pump”
Lindner did not want to comment on the amount of the total claims. “I cannot give an official figure because I do not accept various demands as a serious negotiating position. I can only say that the speculation circulating in the media so far underestimates the total.” Most recently, there was a gap in the double-digit billion range in the plans for the 2025 budget; figures between 15 and 30 billion euros were circulating.
Lindner once again rejected Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’s demand to exclude defense spending and parts of crisis preparedness from the debt brake. By continuing this debate, Pistorius will “shake up the coalition’s basic consensus again,” said Lindner. He also had to object on the matter. “We cannot finance national and alliance defense on credit. The level of debt and the interest burden would increase.”