The traffic light coalition stands before a pile of rubble. With the verdict of the Federal Constitutional Court on the Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF), a new era begins for the government: It must rethink its entire budget planning for the coming years. There were enough warning signals, both experts and opposition politicians had repeatedly pointed out the questionable construction and expressed constitutional concerns. In the government, these concerns were simply ignored.
Traffic light coalition helped itself “without inhibitions”
Even more so. The traffic light coalition apparently helped itself as if there were no tomorrow. As FOCUS online learned from government circles, the KTF was apparently used “without inhibitions” by the ministries from the very beginning.
No wonder: A large part of the budgets of the individual ministries is beyond the reach of the respective management. The reason: There are thousands of long-term and highly budgeted contracts and commitments to which a new minister is also bound. And because the state is always getting fatter, the obligations are also becoming more extensive.
The result: The scope for creative elements is becoming narrower and narrower. But the traffic light coalition wanted to be a “coalition of progress,” so it wanted to change the country. This is only possible with a lot of money. The construction of the KTF was therefore a welcome opportunity for all ministries, reported an insider to FOCUS online. Accordingly, the officials happily included borderline expenses in this fund.
Some even considered shadow budgets to be shady
This tendency to pack a lot into the fund was reinforced by Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), it was said from Berlin circles. Because the FDP leader had increasingly put the brakes on the regular budget in the budget negotiations since the beginning of the traffic light coalition. So, a way out had to be found, the result is known.
From the traffic light circles, it is heard that this method had long been suspicious to many in the government’s environment before the verdict. According to them, some even considered it to be shady. But with this construction, the fragile coalition peace could be preserved. “One gladly took it, against better knowledge, because political conflicts could be appeased,” says an insider to FOCUS online.
There is now a state of absolute alert in the ministries. According to the insider familiar with government affairs, the full extent of the issue has only now fully sunk in. There is now a fear that the entire budget logic will collapse. To his knowledge, there had also been no preparation for the worst-case scenario. The insider: “Politicians often think in best-case scenarios”.
