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SPD rejects members’ request for budget
01.07.2024, 16:08
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In the course of the ongoing budget talks, the SPD left wants a member petition to prevent cuts in the social sector, for example. However, party co-chair Esken considers this to be inadmissible. At the same time, she is appeasing the applicants.
The SPD has rejected plans for a member’s petition that would give the Bundestag parliamentary group strict guidelines for approval of the 2025 budget. “In our opinion, this is inadmissible because budget legislation lies exclusively with the German Bundestag,” said SPD co-chair Saskia Esken in Berlin after her party’s committee meetings. “Freely elected MPs cannot therefore be given guidelines in a member’s petition.” Esken stressed, however, that both the parliamentary group and the party supported the applicants’ goals.
The “Forum Democratic Left 21” (DL21) had submitted a membership petition in mid-June. This petition was to speak out against cuts in the social sector, among other things. “With us, there will be no cuts in the social sector,” stressed the SPD chairwoman with a view to the ongoing budget talks. The core tasks of the budget are external, internal and social security as well as economic dynamism.
The last budget of this legislative period must contain the message “We have understood”. She is very confident that the government will succeed in agreeing on a draft for the 2025 budget. “It is important for us that people feel that they have recognized the seriousness of the situation,” stressed Esken. The SPD is also not prepared for solidarity with Ukraine to be played off against solidarity in its own country.
The Social Democrats therefore believe that a suspension of the debt brake or the declaration of an emergency is necessary. “Unfortunately, we have to say that we cannot overcome these challenges with a one-off declaration of an emergency,” stressed Esken. The FDP rejects this and wants to close the budget gap through savings.