If the banks demand 2.3 billion euros back from the federal government, there will be little public support.
But to reflexively reject this demand does not go far enough.
Of course, state bank bailouts are not in the interest of taxpayers.
It must be important to him that the banks become more resilient and can provide future aid measures from their own resources.
In addition, the European institutes save billions every year for the EU resolution fund.
The German institutes also have to pay in a few billion euros by the end of 2023.
The 2.3 billion euros from the restructuring fund, which is now about to be dissolved, are far from sufficient for this.
However, the old funds that come from the national bank levy between 2011 and 2014 can relieve the institutions in a challenging environment.
And it is in the interests of the taxpayer if this finances a European rescue fund that enables bank resolutions without state aid.
That must be a lesson learned from the financial crisis after the Lehman collapse in 2008.
Punishing the banks retrospectively for the fact that the state emergency services had to record high losses may be justified.
But it is also in the interests of the taxpayer if banks have to pay for their rescues themselves in the future and can do so.