Digital pact for schools: billions from the federal government: Is there an agreement?

Pupils and teachers have had to be patient for a long time. For months now, federal and state governments have been struggling for a constitutional amendment that, among other things, should make the digital pact possible. The federal government plans to pay around 5.5 billion euros in the coming years for laptops and educational software. Now, after considerable resistance of the countries, a decision is imminent.

On Wednesday at 7 pm, the Conciliation Committee of the Bundestag and Bundesrat will be meeting for their last meeting. After intensive discussions behind closed doors, a decision is expected at night, according to information from negotiating circles. A few hours before the meeting, representatives of the countries were optimistic that an agreement would be reached.

"Very reasonable compromise"

"We have found a good compromise," said Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) of the "Süddeutsche Zeitung". "Actually, nothing stands in the way of an agreement." Even Hesse's Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) spoke in the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" of a "very reasonable compromise". He assumes that he will find a large majority.

Also SPD-led countries confirm the upcoming agreement. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig told the "Rheinische Post": "We have a good basis for the discussion in the Conciliation Committee with what the working group we have prepared." She was confident that she would "come to a good agreement".

Optimistic was also SPD fraction manager Carsten Schneider. "We will finish today," he said. He was "very sure". Already at the previous meeting of the Conciliation Committee, agreement had been reached.

A recommendation from the committee to both chambers is now expected. Bundestag and Bundesrat must then vote on this proposal. The Bundestag is to be voted on Thursday. The Federal Council will meet again next time on 15 March.

For constitutional amendments, a two-thirds majority is needed. In other words, parts of the opposition must agree to the compromise.

What has happened so far - and what is still being argued about

The Bundestag had passed a bill in November to amend the constitution. However, the Länder rejected the plan in the Bundesrat in December. They feared too much interference with their responsibilities.

On the one hand, the countries encountered the planned co-financing. The draft stipulated that the federal states should always double the sum of the federal government. The 50:50 clause has now disappeared from the draft. In the future it will probably be negotiated individually for each investment, who participates with how much money.

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Second sticking point: the participation of the federal government in educational matters. Then FDP and Greens had penetrated. You must also agree as opposition parties in the Bundestag of the constitutional amendment. The bill, which failed in the Bundesrat, stipulated that the federal government should not only finance hardware such as laptops, but also personnel for the schools. In it, the countries saw a gross interference with their jurisdiction.

The new version only talks about "educational infrastructure" - which, in turn, does not go far enough for the FDP and the Greens. The Conciliation Committee will still have to negotiate this point during the night.

FDP parliamentary director Marco Buschmann was "very confident" in view of the meeting - but stressed to the SPIEGEL: "It will be important that the federal government can invest not only in cable, but also in know-how." Buschmann, like Bouffier and Schwesig, is a member of the Conciliation Committee.

What the agreement means

If the compromise is reached and the Basic Law is amended, the Confederation may co-finance the Länder in the field of education. This was due to the educational sovereignty of countries so far only possible to a limited extent. For the digital pact school, the federal states are to receive billions in funding over the next few years in order to equip schools with WLAN, computers and digital learning content.

In other areas too, for which the federal states are responsible, the constitutional changes are intended to transfer funds from the federal government to the states or local authorities in the future, for example for social housing or local transport.