Union accuses coalition of 'budget tricks and legally questionable maneuvers'

The Union faction in Germany accuses the coalition government of using 'budget tricks and legally questionable maneuvers' to pass the budget. They claim that the government focused on circumventing the debt brake to reach an agreement.

The budget proposal for 2025 includes total expenses of 488.61 billion euros, with the need for fresh loans amounting to 51.3 billion euros. Despite this high level of borrowing, there is still a financial gap of 12 billion euros.

Chancellor Scholz postponed a reform of the debt brake to the next legislative period. In a different context, the city of Mainz accumulated 1.2 billion euros in debt prior to the local elections, prompting criticism from control authorities.

As the Bundestag begins debating the budget proposal, concerns are raised about its credibility and its reliance on questionable tactics. The article mentions the popularity of SPIEGEL's digital offering, which has over 400,000 subscribers.

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