Berlin’s Economic Senator, Franziska Giffey, is pushing for the Senate to inform those affected by budget cuts in a timely manner. According to Giffey, it is crucial to provide early clarity on how the allocated funds will be used, in order to avoid long periods of uncertainty, as seen in the previous year’s budget process.
Giffey, who is also the Mayor and Deputy of the Governing Mayor Kai Wegner, acknowledged that mistakes were made during the previous budget process. “Not everything went optimally” she said, adding that the affected parties should be better integrated and communicated with, which did not always happen in the past.
The Senator’s statement comes in the wake of projects being cut or affected by budget cuts, with some recipients only learning of the cuts through the media. In some cases, they had to wait weeks or months for clarity on their funding.
In a nod to her coalition partner, Giffey acknowledged that the CDU had to adjust to its new role in government. “The CDU has arrived at many places in reality” she said, adding that not everything can be achieved as quickly and easily as it is often demanded in election campaigns.
Giffey also highlighted the success of the CDU in implementing policies that were not feasible under the previous red-green-red coalition, citing the Faster-Building Law as an example. “This law would not have been possible under a red-green-red government” she emphasized.