this post was submitted on 18 Mar 2025
227 points (98.7% liked)
Europe
4413 readers
1319 users here now
News and information from Europe 🇪🇺
(Current banner: La Mancha, Spain. Feel free to post submissions for banner images.)
Rules (2024-08-30)
- This is an English-language community. Comments should be in English. Posts can link to non-English news sources when providing a full-text translation in the post description. Automated translations are fine, as long as they don't overly distort the content.
- No links to misinformation or commercial advertising. When you post outdated/historic articles, add the year of publication to the post title. Infographics must include a source and a year of creation; if possible, also provide a link to the source.
- Be kind to each other, and argue in good faith. Don't post direct insults nor disrespectful and condescending comments. Don't troll nor incite hatred. Don't look for novel argumentation strategies at Wikipedia's List of fallacies.
- No bigotry, sexism, racism, antisemitism, dehumanization of minorities, or glorification of National Socialism.
- Be the signal, not the noise: Strive to post insightful comments. Add "/s" when you're being sarcastic (and don't use it to break rule no. 3).
- If you link to paywalled information, please provide also a link to a freely available archived version. Alternatively, try to find a different source.
- Light-hearted content, memes, and posts about your European everyday belong in [email protected]. (They're cool, you should subscribe there too!)
- Don't evade bans. If we notice ban evasion, that will result in a permanent ban for all the accounts we can associate with you.
- No posts linking to speculative reporting about ongoing events with unclear backgrounds. Please wait at least 12 hours. (E.g., do not post breathless reporting on an ongoing terror attack.)
(This list may get expanded when necessary.)
We will use some leeway to decide whether to remove a comment.
If need be, there are also bans: 3 days for lighter offenses, 14 days for bigger offenses, and permanent bans for people who don't show any willingness to participate productively. If we think the ban reason is obvious, we may not specifically write to you.
If you want to protest a removal or ban, feel free to write privately to the mods: @[email protected], @[email protected], or @[email protected].
founded 8 months ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
So win win?
For 4 years.
The next government will be beholden to the debt brake again - and if the CDU happens to be in the opposition, they will block any and all investment to make the governing parties look worse.
Although I expect the AfD to form a blocking minority for constitutional amendments anyway. Maybe we'll get the first CDU + AfD government by 2029 - wouldn't be the first time that German conservatives allow nazis to rise to power.
Why would this only last 4 years? It’s a constitution change. It does not magically undo itself after a certain time.
The budget, I mean.
In four years, I suspect nearly all money will be allocated and either the next government manages to make another constitutional amendment or they will lack founding again.
500 billion is not a lot for 30 years of infrastructure decay.
Yes but the next budget can then be done by a simple 51% majority which is the regular coalition. This dept brake change needed a 2/3 vote and lays the foundation for easier budgets in the future.
Are you sure? From everything I read, there is only a 500 billion credit for infrastructure and an exception for defense spending above 1%.
If the 500 billion credit is largely spent and/or designated by 2029, the next government may not be able to pass a budget without a lot of cuts. Especially because retirement spending will explode by then, taking away money from everything else.
You are right, the off-budget fund (Sondervermögen) for infrastructure also needed a 2/3 vote. I was under the impression that the 500 billion credit and how it will be spend was just part of the negotiations for the dept brake reform. My bad.
The Greens had a strong position in the negotiations. To me it seems they got a good deal.