The archive of the Bavarian mountain riflemen in Benediktbeuern can look forward to 450,000 euros, and the DFB youth base in Amberg has received 800,000 euros for an artificial turf field. A good quarter of a million is earmarked for the Augsburg fire department adventure world, the Weilheim city museum, a guard house for the Unterhaching water rescue service or for sports facilities at the University of Bayreuth. There is 300,000 euros for the Bavarian school camp and the chronically underfunded train station missions. The association for folk songs and folk music will receive at least 15,000 euros. Just a few examples, everything sounds sensible, the recipients deserve it.
On Wednesday, the CSU and Free Voters presented the so-called faction initiatives – these are funds in the budget with which they want to set their own accents, for example for culture, social affairs, research and rural areas. This time, the pot contains 100 million euros for the year 2024, in more than 300 individual items, the resolution of which is still going through the parliamentary process. The budget will be finally discussed by the state parliament in June.
The MPs have identified these needs as a “seismograph” in their regions, said CSU parliamentary group leader Klaus Holetschek. It’s very detailed, 122 representatives from the CSU and FW certainly have to listen to many of the heartfelt wishes of all possible actors in their constituencies. In between there are some impressive statewide positions, millions of dollars for digital training and equipment for the police, the profile building of the technical universities in Bavaria or to support music and singing schools.
Criticism from the opposition comes reliably every year. Finally, the legitimate question can be raised as to why this type of play money is needed, with which government representatives can present themselves as carers. And whether the expenditure, if it is really necessary, would not be better reflected in the budgets of the responsible ministries.
The Green budget politician Claudia Köhler rumbled on Wednesday: “The parliamentary group reserve is nothing other than self-service on the budget in difficult times.” This is a “PR nonsense” and “indecent”, but there are “budget holes” in the specialist budgets. The 100 million euros should rather flow directly to the municipalities. Volkmar Halbleib (SPD) sees tax funds distributed “according to the landlord style” despite many “welcome uses”.
FW parliamentary group leader Florian Streibl countered: As is well known, red-green only knows the principles of “watering can and lawnmower”. However, these are not close to the citizens and do not do justice to the individual case. “For us, it’s surgical precision interventions in the household to highlight and support things with razor sharpness.”