The overview in short reports on developments, results and assessments relating to German politics:
BaWü finance minister for cuts in social spending
The Baden-Württemberg Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz is calling for cuts in government spending in the current debate about the federal budget. “To put it simply, we poured a lot of money on all the problems and cultivated an attitude of entitlement in this state,” he told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. “We gave citizens and companies the impression that if a crisis comes, the state has to compensate for everything. That’s a promise that politics can’t keep!” He cited pension policy as an example. “Also social projects like retirement at 63 or the Mother’s pension should not be set in stone,” he emphasized.
Söder wants to stick to the debt brake
Despite the suspension of the debt brake planned for this year, CSU boss Markus Söder has called for fundamental adherence to it. “We reject all those who want to abolish the debt brake,” said Söder on Saturday at a CSU delegate conference for the European elections in Nuremberg. Söder said that he and his Bavarian Finance Minister Albert Füracker advised the federal government very early on to suspend the debt brake for this year because of the burdens caused by the Ukraine war. At the time, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner “arrogantly and arrogantly” rejected the proposal and instead chose the path that the Federal Constitutional Court has now classified as unconstitutional. “We don’t have a budget emergency, we have a government emergency,” said the CSU leader.
CDU boss Merz wants to support the budget emergency in 2023
The CDU wants to refrain from filing a new lawsuit if the federal government declares an emergency for the current financial year. According to the Handelsblatt, CDU leader Friedrich Merz is said to have explained himself accordingly on Thursday evening at the traditional fireside evening of the Union Prime Ministers. “It’s ok for 2023,” participants quote Merz. His spokesman declined to comment when asked. As it was said from the group, Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder is said to have argued less leniently. The CSU politician was quoted as saying that he wanted to take a closer look at the justification with which the federal government was now declaring an emergency shortly before the end of the year in view of the Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 26, 2023 08:53 ET (13:53 GMT)