Brandenburg state parliament defends planned increase in supplementary budget

Two days before the state parliament decides on the supplementary budget, the red-black-green coalition has defended the planned increase of more than 220 million to almost 600 million euros. Finance Minister Katrin Lange (SPD) pointed out on Wednesday that the majority was due to the financing of wage increases. This was necessary because the state had promised to cover the pay increase for civil servants and there had to be a readjustment for civil servants with children.

"All in all, the supplementary budget can be financed," said Lange in the Potsdam state parliament. The budget would be financed from the increase in emergency-related loans, additional income from the federal government and more money from the state's reserves. The opposition criticized the supplementary budget, the majority voted for the draft in the second reading. The final vote will follow on Friday.

The coalition is planning almost 209 million euros with the amendments for the pay rise for civil servants alone, and almost 10 million for the pay rise for the student union, theaters and orchestras. The changes also provide for 18 new posts for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution to combat right-wing extremism, 15 new posts for the central IT service provider for the judiciary due to the introduction of electronic legal transactions as well as 12 posts in the Ministry of Health and 6 posts in the State Office of Health for the hospital reform. 66 million euros are included for a financing agreement to relocate the Fangschleuse train station closer to the Tesla factory. In addition, there are around two million euros for the planning of a second location for the state fire brigade school in Wünsdorf.

The increase in posts in the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is to be financed from the ministry's existing personnel budget this year. The new posts for justice IT are to be covered by the elimination of lower-funded posts and within the justice budget. The funds for the interception sluice station are to be paid from unused funds.

The supplementary budget is originally a consequence of the budget ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court. It had ruled that the federal government may not set aside emergency loans for later years. Before Christmas, the state parliament declared an extraordinary emergency situation again separately for 2024 in order to secure the Brandenburg aid package to cushion the consequences of the war in Ukraine. The Germany Ticket will now no longer be financed from the aid package, but from regular budget funds. Around 1.9 million euros have already been earmarked in the supplementary budget for the planned payment card for asylum seekers. With the amendments, the budget has a volume of 16.9 billion euros.

Finance politicians Jörg Vogelsänger (SPD), Steeven Bretz (CDU) and Thomas von Gizycki (Greens) defended the budget. The AfD parliamentary group doubts that there is an emergency situation, also in view of six percent economic growth in the first half of 2023. "We have filed a constitutional complaint and still do not see the emergency situation as given," said AfD financial politician Andreas Galau. The left-wing parliamentary group considers the supplementary budget to be a "sham giant". MP Ronny Kretschmer demanded more money for local authorities and hospitals. The Free Voters were also critical.