North Rhine-Westphalia: FDP is considering a constitutional complaint against the NRW budget

Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – Despite recent changes by the North Rhine-Westphalian government to its budget, the FDP opposition reserves the right to file a complaint with the state constitutional court. In its attempt to rebook money from the Corona rescue package for other budgetary purposes, the black-green coalition tried “camouflage, tricks, deception”, criticized the head of the FDP parliamentary group, Henning Höne, on Wednesday in Düsseldorf. A “damage to confidence” arose – both in Parliament and on the financial markets.

Even after the U-turn in the budget – triggered by constitutional concerns from the state audit office – many questions remained unanswered that the FDP wanted to clarify. A written template for a corresponding addendum to the 2022 budget is not yet available, said Höne.

The state government announced on Tuesday that it would create a so-called special fund for crisis management. Up to five billion euros in new debts are to be made for this. Finance Minister Marcus Optendrenk (CDU) wants to draw exceptions to the debt brake in an “extraordinary emergency”. The original plan to use billions from the Corona rescue package for the 2023 state budget was suddenly dropped.

Höne warned that if the state government wanted to suspend the debt brake for 2022 and 2023, it would have to prove that it had used all the options in the core budget to avoid new debt. This also includes postponing “black-green desired projects” – such as the funding program for the energy transition in companies. Höne also doubted a budget of 1.3 billion euros for corona measures. Whether tests in daycare centers are still necessary to this extent is something that needs to be examined.

The FDP politician also accused the finance minister of having declared in the state parliament’s budget committee that there was still a buffer of 500 million euros in the Corona rescue package. Nevertheless, around four billion euros in new debts were then taken up in a short space of time. It must be clarified who is responsible for such “political games”, said Höne.