President Kay Scheller of the Federal Court of Auditors warned the federal government that a new “gigantic shift factory” could emerge around the €500 billion special fund. He told the magazine “Focus” that politicians’ typical response to budget gaps is to find money for even ordinary consumption spending, rather than to re‑prioritise existing expenditures.
Scheller said the special fund was intended primarily for additional investments. “If that purpose is short‑changed now, it is truly regrettable” he added. He cautioned that the constitutionality of such a shift might eventually have to be evaluated by the Federal Constitutional Court.
He reminded that the federal debt is expected to rise to €2.7 trillion by 2029, and that this figure does not yet include the debt of states and municipalities, which would add about €800 billion more. These debts are financed with loans whose interest rates have recently surged, making it even more difficult to keep promises made in the past.