It's like "driving through a smokescreen": the Greens and the CDU are setting up a budget that can quickly become waste due to the energy crisis. However, the Finance Minister explains that one should not simply save in the crisis.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - The leaders of the green-black coalition have agreed on the double budget 2023/2024 and the creation of almost 1700 new jobs. The Ministry of Finance announced on Monday evening in Stuttgart that there should be 700 new jobs in the field of education, including 500 for new teachers. The meeting of the budget commission lasted about seven hours, and all ministers were supposed to explain why they needed additional money and new jobs. 340 million euros were then distributed to the departments.
Among other things, the heads of the coalition also decided to significantly strengthen the prison system: Most of the new 442 posts in the area of justice go there. 412 new posts are planned for internal security, including 300 for the police. There will be other posts at the universities and in the building administration. 20 new jobs are to be created in the ministries.
In addition, the Greens and CDU decided to stick to the already planned risk buffer of 1.46 billion euros in view of the energy crisis. Because of the high inflation, the country wants to set aside one billion euros, with this, among other things, rising construction costs are to be settled. The buffer for possible revenue shortfalls due to federal decisions is 460 million euros. Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz (Greens) said in the evening that this was also urgently needed. Because of the recently approved federal relief package, there would be further burdens on the state.
The leaders of the coalition had previously agreed that the debt brake should be observed again. Most recently, however, Green Party leader Lena Schwelling called for an exception clause to be used in the debt brake and to invest heavily in climate protection and the turnaround in transport. CDU parliamentary group leader Manuel Hagel said on Monday evening: "By setting clear priorities, we will comply with the debt brake. We promised that and we keep it." That is the basis for a "grandchild-friendly policy".
However, the energy crisis could thwart the coalition's plans in the autumn and winter. Bayaz is already anticipating that there will be no more growth in winter. If there is a severe recession due to a gas shortage, there will be a significant drop in tax revenues. On Monday evening he said: "The next tax estimate in October will show whether we still have additional financial leeway." Green parliamentary group leader Andreas Schwarz added: "The budget negotiations are currently as difficult as driving through a smoke screen: nobody can predict how tax revenue will turn out in the next few years."
But Bayaz also thinks it's right that the country is spending 570 million euros on political priorities despite the crisis. "However, it is important that the state works, especially in the crisis." Despite inflation, the gas crisis and the pandemic, the coalition wants to spend almost 1.4 billion euros more. Greens and CDU want to invest a good 800 million euros for so-called inevitable additional needs. This includes expenses for refugees, precautions for the corona pandemic, the penal system or the expansion of broadband, for which the state has to co-finance federal funding. The country is spending another 570 million euros on political priorities.
150 million euros are to be invested in digitization in administration. According to its own statements, Grün-Schwarz is taking on 93 million euros for climate protection. Among other things, there should be more solar systems on state-owned buildings. Group leader Schwarz said that an agreement had also been reached on "more climate-friendly traffic and the continuation of the hydrogen roadmap".
Regarding the new jobs in the education sector, the Green said: "With new staff, we are strengthening the schools due to the increased number of students, preparing them for the increasing demand for additional all-day classes and supporting the headmasters and teachers, for example by providing them with multi-professional teams and educational assistants place." They also want to keep the teachers employed and take care of language support for children with a migration background.
