Erfurt (dpa/th) - The negotiations in Thuringia between the red-red-green minority coalition and the opposition on the state budget for 2023 are being delayed. Left, Greens and SPD expressed their incomprehension that the CDU and FDP canceled a meeting that was actually planned for Tuesday. SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Hey expressed concern that the schedule could not be kept until the planned approval of the budget in mid-December. The CDU confirmed the cancellation.

Hey explained: "We all have to get together as soon as possible, otherwise it will be more than tight with a budget for 2023!" The first round of talks between the four factions and the FDP group took place in mid-November. The aim is to sound out possible compromise lines between the minority coalition and the opposition. Red-Red-Green does not have its own majority in the state parliament and needs at least four votes from the opposition for a budget decision.

At the beginning of September, the state government presented the draft budget for the coming year to parliament. It envisages record spending of 12.8 billion euros. That is an increase of almost 900 million euros compared to this year's budget. According to previous information, the budget can only be financed by the state taking around 640 million euros from its reserves.