The savings targets of Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) for the federal ministries in the federal budget for 2024 are met with resistance from the Greens.
The savings targets of Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) for the federal ministries in the federal budget for 2024 are met with resistance from the Greens. “A federal budget ultimately needs the approval of the entire cabinet,” Greens chief housekeeper Sven-Christian Kindler told the Dsseldorfer “Rheinische Post” (Wednesday edition). “What is now necessary is a joint content-related coordination process for the federal budget, which can be approved by all three coalition partners.”
Lindner had set spending limits for the individual federal departments and asked them to submit proposals for savings; he had only exempted the Ministry of Defense from this. According to Kindler, the Greens do not want to accept this procedure. “Excluding the defense department in general makes no sense,” he said. “Here, in procurement for the Bundeswehr, there are demonstrably significant inefficiencies that have not yet been eliminated.” Kindler criticized: “There always seeps away too much money.”
In addition, the majority of the 100 billion euros in the Bundeswehr special fund has not yet been firmly planned. “We should not make cuts at the expense of programs for the participation of children and young people, for rural development, for culture or for initiatives against right-wing extremism,” demanded the budgetary spokesman for the Greens parliamentary group. Anyone who cuts corners here “weakens our democracy and the cohesion in our society in these times of crisis,” he warned.
Instead, Kindler called for cuts in subsidies that are harmful to the environment and called the tax privilege for company cars. When reducing subsidies that are harmful to the environment and the climate, “large billions could be fetched”.
The budget for next year has been causing unrest in the coalition for months. Several ministries reported some additional needs. However, since Lindner rules out both a renewed exemption from the debt brake and tax increases, there is practically no leeway for this.