Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – The ruling CDU parliamentary group in the NRW state parliament has defended itself against criticism of several about-faces in the budget process. The procedure is “a challenge for all of us,” said CDU faction leader Thorsten Schick on Tuesday in the state parliament. “No one can deny that we live in special times.” Politicians are struggling with crises at all levels. In addition to the Ukraine war, Schick also mentioned climate change and dealing with the consequences of the flood disaster in 2021 and the corona pandemic that has not yet been overcome.
“We can’t plan for the long term,” said Schick. The black-green coalition in NRW must drive on sight. At the same time, Schick admitted that the budgetary procedure was not “from a single source” and that he too would have wished it to be different.
After several U-turns, the state parliament on Tuesday, with the majority of the government factions, wanted to launch a 1.6 billion euro aid package to cushion the economic consequences of the Ukraine war, which was launched just a few days ago. The funds are the first tranche of a debt-financed “crisis management special fund” of up to five billion euros.
The state parliament will only vote on both packages on Wednesday in a special session scheduled at short notice. Contrary to what was planned, the crisis aid from the 1.6 billion package will only flow from 2023 onwards. Black and green had withdrawn an originally planned supplementary budget for this year at short notice on Monday.