Bundestag
Scholz: Budget verdict makes governing more difficult
Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his government statement on the budget situation in the Bundestag. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
His government statement in the Bundestag was eagerly awaited. Chancellor Scholz recognizes a new reality after the Karlsruhe verdict.
“This ruling creates a new reality – for the federal government and for all current and future governments, at the federal and state levels. A reality that, however, makes it more difficult to achieve important and widely shared goals for our country,” said the SPD politician in a government statement in the Bundestag.
The discussions about the consequences of the judgment have not yet been completed. But it is clear: “With the knowledge of the current decision, we would have taken other paths in winter 2021 – paths that the court also pointed out in its judgment.”
The Federal Constitutional Court had declared the reallocation of 60 billion euros in the 2021 budget to be null and void. The money was approved as a Corona loan, but was subsequently intended to be used for climate protection and the modernization of the economy. At the same time, the judges decided that the state was not allowed to reserve emergency loans for later years. The federal government had done this in several special funds, including for energy price brakes.