The German Green Party’s parliamentary group leaders are accusing the current black-red coalition government of deceptive accounting practices surrounding the management of the special asset fund (Sondervermögen), raising serious questions about the allocation of resources and the true scale of planned investments. In a sharply worded commentary published in “Stern” magazine, Katharina Dröge and Britta Haßelmann allege a deliberate strategy of shifting already-budgeted expenditures from the federal budget into the special asset fund, creating a false impression of new, supplementary funding for the nation.
The core of the accusation centers around the creation of budgetary ‘breathing room’ through these transfers. The Greens claim the freed-up billions are not being used for vital national priorities, but rather diverted to satisfy political demands – specifically suggesting funding for the CSU, potentially to quell dissent within the coalition and implementing tax cuts benefiting the wealthiest 1%. “The situation is too serious to simply squander 500 billion euros” the leaders stated.
To illustrate their point, Dröge and Haßelmann cited specific examples. Investments earmarked for rail infrastructure, initially planned within the existing budget of the Transport Ministry, now appear as new special asset fund allocations – a transfer amounting to nine billion euros with no additional investment actually generated. Similarly, the two-and-a-half billion euros designated for the maintenance of dilapidated bridges and tunnels represents a deceptive accounting exercise, with 2.43 billion already accounted for in pre-existing plans, leaving a meager 70 million euros of genuinely new funding.
This maneuver, they argue, leaves a paltry ten billion euros available for additional investment in 2025, revealing a disappointing scope that undermines any claims of a revitalized Germany. “This alarming figure demonstrates: If Merz and Klingbeil continue to engage in these maneuvers, it cannot represent a new beginning for Germany” Dröge and Haßelmann asserted. They are now directly appealing to Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Finance Minister Christian Lindner to cease the “illusory transfers and deceptive practices” arguing that the current approach is jeopardizing Germany’s long-term economic and infrastructure goals and undermining public trust in the government’s fiscal responsibility.