The Bundestag is returning from its summer break: At the start of the traditional budget week, the party committees and parliamentary groups will meet on Monday to discuss matters. On Tuesday, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) will introduce the budget law for 2025, which was drawn up with great effort and controversy, to Parliament. The draft budget provides for expenditure of more than 488 billion euros. Of this, around 51.3 billion euros are to be financed through new debt. The MPs will then debate the individual budgets of the departments. The budget is to be approved in November.
Hole in the budget of 12 billion euros
The draft budget includes a global spending cut of around 12 billion euros, an amount that is not yet covered by revenue. Lindner said on Sunday evening in the ARD “Report from Berlin” that the hole in the budget must be reduced. The global spending cut is planned to be two percent of the budget volume, “because not all projects and plans are ever realized.” With the current budget volume, this is 9.6 billion euros. “That means: we still have a task until the end of November, Parliament has a task of 2.4 billion euros.” Regarding possible savings, he said: “I am happy to make further suggestions if I am asked.”
When a government works with a global reduction in spending, it assumes that this sum will be saved by all departments together (hence globally) because the ministries will not spend the full amount they have allocated over the course of the fiscal year. What is absolutely unusual, however, is the high sum of around 12 billion euros that is to be raised in this way. According to the Federal Ministry of Finance, this is the largest funding gap in a government draft for the federal budget in the past twenty years.
CDU leader Merz does not consider budget plan serious
Opposition leader Friedrich Merz therefore accuses the traffic light coalition of having an unprofessional budget policy. The CDU chairman criticized the global underspending of 12 billion euros: “That is the largest number ever written into a draft budget. That is simply no longer serious.”
Draft budget is still being changed in parliament
Green budget politician Sven-Christian Kindler announced noticeable changes to the federal government’s proposal. “The Bundestag will of course make relevant improvements to the cabinet draft for the next budget,” he told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). “Parliament is the budget legislator.” He expects constructive cooperation with the traffic light coalition partners FDP and SPD. “We are in complete agreement with the budget politicians of the SPD and FDP that we will work in a concentrated and rapid manner and come up with good solutions,” said Kindler.
With regard to the financing gap, Kindler called on the Union in particular to negotiate a reform of the debt brake in the Basic Law. “In view of the many turning points that are currently taking place, investments in climate protection, infrastructure and internal and external security are now necessary,” the budget expert told the RND. CDU leader Merz should not refuse to hold talks on a reform of the debt brake. The debt brake only provides for a very limited net borrowing.
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