With time running out, the German government is scrambling in Berlin to close budget holes, following a ruling by the Karlsruhe Constitutional Court on November 15, according to which the 60 billion euros left unused for the response to the pandemic from 2021, they cannot be retroactively transferred to subsequent budgets (up to 2023) for another purpose, namely the Climate Fund.

Consequently, according to the finance minister and the chancellor, a supplementary budget is required for 2023, which was even approved by an express procedure on Monday at cabinet level. The supplementary budget will be drawn up after the political decision to suspend the “debt brake” rule (which does not allow new debts to be taken on above 0.35% of German GDP) for 2023. This was deemed necessary for the government to comply with the constitutional checks, according to Finance Minister Christian Lindner.

Government spokesman Stephen Hembestright echoed the same on Monday at a government briefing, responding to a question about the possibility of further constitutional appeals.

Critical parliamentary December

In any case, in order to “pass” the supplementary budget, the approval of the German Parliament is also required, which, however, will have to declare a state of budgetary emergency. According to Reuters information, the vote in the German Parliament (Bundestag) is likely to take place on December 13. Immediately after, on December 15, it will have to pass through the second parliamentary body, the Federal Council (Bundesrat).

And all this, while the 2024 budget is still up in the air. On Tuesday morning, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to give an explanation before the Plenary of the German Parliament, answering questions from members of parliament for about twenty minutes.

At the same time, and despite the apparent support of the co-governors, the only thing certain is, as the tagesschau.de website observes, that the federal government for the fourth consecutive year will take on more public debt than the German Constitution provides. Indicative of the prevailing climate were the statements of the head of K.O. of the Liberals’ Christian Dürr on the public network ARD, who admitted that the German government has a “spending problem” and that “resource saving” is needed.

At the same time, the Greens, after a difficult conference, continue to press for the need for “green reforms”, while for their part the Christian Democratic opposition parties – which are behind the controversial appeal to the Constitutional Court – have not yet clarified the line they will follow in the relevant votes in the German parliament.

Bavarian Zender calls for elections in June

Amidst such a tense political scene, the head of the Bavarian Christian Socialists (CSU) and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Zender calls for early federal elections and even at the same time as the European elections, on June 9, 2024, according to reports in the German press, after statements by to reporters Monday in Berlin. For Markus Zender, the coalition of Social Democrats-Greens-Liberals is no longer able to manage the difficult situation and therefore has no choice but to appeal to the people’s crisis.

As he told the newspaper Bild: “The German government is going from one defeat to another. But especially at the present time, the country needs leadership and clarity. Therefore the chancellor should finally take action and ask for a vote of confidence from the people. Early elections would be the best and fairest way.”

According to Zeit (and other newspapers), Zender even goes a step further, submitting a specific post-election cooperation proposal, a new version of a grand coalition of the Christian Union with the Social Democrats. Rejecting scenarios of cooperation with the Greens and/or the Liberals.