Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) warns his cabinet colleagues against promising spending in their departments that they cannot keep. At the beginning of the legislative period, Germany was facing “considerable challenges” because of the pandemic and the costs of climate protection and digitization, wrote Lindner in a letter to the ministries and the highest federal authorities, which was available to the FAZ. "We combine the handling of these tasks with a solid and sustainable budget policy." expectations are aroused in public,which may prove to be unsatisfactory. "

Christian Geinitz

Business correspondent in Berlin

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It is about the second government draft for the federal budget for 2022. The talks in the departments should be concluded by February 25, Lindner demands in the letter on the budget.

The budget for 2022 could then be decided in the cabinet meeting on March 9th.

It is evidently important for Lindner to be perceived as a drag on spending in the cabinet and in the public, after this reputation had recently suffered.

Ten days ago he brought a second amendment to the 2021 budget through the cabinet.

60 billion euros are available for the climate and transformation fund of the new “traffic light government”.

Sleight of hand?

The approach had met with criticism and raised doubts as to whether it was not a sleight of hand by the supposedly stability-oriented liberal: He promised that it would not result in higher debts, but in fact the 60 billion euros are part of the 240 billion euros new net borrowing by his predecessor, the current Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). The funds are unused parts of the "Bazooka" debt for fighting pandemics and are now, according to criticism, being misappropriated for green climate finance.

In the new letter signed on Wednesday, Lindner promises: "From 2023 we will again comply with the regular credit limit of the debt rule." Germany is still "due to the pandemic, still in an exceptional budgetary situation"; this allows the debt brake to be released. But the situation is getting better: the first draft of the 2022 budget already envisages "approaches that will lead to net borrowing of 100 billion euros".

Lindner recalled that "for the entire legislative period, all expenditures must be put to the test".

There must also be cuts in 2022: "New budget-burdening measures are only possible with appropriate counter-financing through reallocation of funds in the respective departmental plan or policy area." The ministries should list these savings opportunities in their budget registrations from the outset.

In January, Lindner's ministry wants to convene the state secretaries to coordinate further.

There will be no further benchmarking procedure for the 2022 budget, it must now proceed “quickly” and according to a “tight schedule”.