Communication in a budget crisis Hofreiter: Chancellor should have apologized
December 3, 2023, 9:46 pm Listen to the article
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The traffic light coalition is currently struggling to find a solution to the budget crisis. The population is left with chaos. Scholz is to blame for his poor communication, says Green Party politician Hofreiter. “He’s the chancellor, he’s in charge.”
Green politician Anton Hofreiter harshly criticized Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his communication during the budget crisis. “In this government statement, Olaf Scholz did not explain to anyone what really happened. He provided technical answers, not political ones. I would have liked Olaf Scholz to say that he was sorry for this chaos,” Hofreiter told “Spiegel” with a view to Tuesday’s government statement on the budget crisis. Hofreiter said Scholz should have apologized to the citizens. “He’s the chancellor, he’s in charge.”
In view of the current discussions between Scholz, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and Finance Minister Christian Lindner over the 2024 federal budget, Hofreiter called for a greater sense of responsibility. “I hope that all three people involved are honest and clear about the situation we currently find ourselves in. This is not an internal German debate for gourmets. We are in a competition of systems: democracy against autocracy, war against peace,” said Hofreiter . .
The traffic light coalition is under great pressure to make decisions in the budget crisis. The Federal Constitutional Court declared null and void the reallocation of 60 billion euros from the 2021 budget to the climate and transformation fund. The money was approved as a Corona loan, but was later intended to be used for climate protection and modernization of the economy. At the same time, the judges ruled that the state was not authorized to set aside emergency loans for later years. But the federal government did this through special funds – which is now opening additional holes in the budget. Lindner sees a “need for action” of 17 billion euros for 2024.
The coalition must reach an agreement in the coming days – if it wants to decide on the 2024 budget this year. There should be a basic political agreement between the SPD, FDP and the Greens at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting so that there is still enough time for parliamentary procedure. The possible savings, especially in social expenses, are controversial.