CDU and the Greens had decided to end the turbulent budget year in North Rhine-Westphalia on a harmonious note. On Tuesday afternoon, the leaders of the black-green government coalition that has been in office since the summer wanted to present their amendments to the 2023 budget, which the state parliament will vote on in a few days. The coalition partners are planning changes worth around 76 million euros in favor of children, young people, transport, voluntary work, sport, sustainability, biological diversity and internal security.
With this signal, Black-Green finally wanted to put its violent conflict with the State Audit Office (LRH) over the “crisis management” rescue package, which is equipped with loans of five billion euros, behind it.
Finance Minister Marcus Optendrenk (CDU) originally intended to move the remaining loans from the Corona fund, which was limited until the end of December, to the new special fund. This would have had the pleasant effect that the so-called core budget of the most populous federal state would have managed without new debt, despite the multiple consequences of the Ukraine war and the energy crisis.
“Not sufficiently justified”
But at the end of November, the LRH branded this procedure as unconstitutional in a first special test. The government then announced that it would now make use of the debt brake exception. Last week, the black-green state parliament majority then determined the “extraordinary emergency situation”. North Rhine-Westphalia was hit by the crisis faster and more violently than was hoped until recently, it said.
But the Court of Auditors is still not satisfied. On Monday afternoon, a second harsh statement from the independent audit authority became known. “The significant impairment of the state’s financial situation is a constitutional requirement for an exemption from the debt brake. This significant impairment is not sufficiently justified,” says the LRH paper. Not only is there a lack of specific loan financing requirements – which the state government has not even roughly determined – black and green have also not submitted a repayment plan.
In addition, the legal purpose of the special fund must be specified, wrote the LRH and recommended the procedure of the federal government and Thuringia as models. They made it clear: More precision is therefore “in principle possible despite all the unpredictability that undeniably exists in a crisis situation”.
Coalition partners demonstratively left
Opposition leader Thomas Kutschaty (SPD) spoke of the “second landing in breach of the constitution” within two weeks. Black-Green reveal a “blatant lack of governance”. If the supplementary budget is decided as planned by black and green, “that would be a breach of the constitution with an announcement”.
FDP parliamentary group leader Henning Höne took the same line. Black-Green must prioritize more and identify savings opportunities in the regular budget. At least part of the money for the “crisis management” rescue package must come from the core budget.
Thorsten Schick and Verena Schäffer, the leaders of the CDU and Greens, were demonstratively relaxed on Tuesday. Like the first, the second opinion of the Court of Auditors will also be “evaluated carefully”, the necessary clarifications will be made and a constitutional budget will be presented next week. Of course, the truth is that the LRH’s view is not shared by all experts, said Schick and referred to an administrative law report for the state parliament, in which the author comes to the conclusion that the credit-financed special fund will be formed as planned by black-green may.
Verena Schäffer added that one could argue about household technology for weeks. “It’s perfectly legitimate for the opposition to do that, that’s their role too. Our motivation is to help people and companies in NRW.”
The 76 million euros for the first black-green budgetary scent brands are now not to be financed with loans, but through reallocations in the 2023 state budget. With a volume of around 105 billion euros, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
