The Union views the federal budget for 2028 as having a gap of 28 billion euros. Fritz Güntzler, the financial policy spokesperson for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, stated to the “Bild” (Saturday edition) that they must start addressing the 2028 budget this year. He noted that a deficit of approximately 28 billion euros currently exists and stressed the need to close this gap by finally reducing spending. Therefore, according to Güntzler, consultations about where cuts should be made must begin before Christmas.
CDU politician and finance expert Olav Gutting advocated that the government should achieve savings by cutting expenditures rather than raising revenue. He told the newspaper that if there is no genuine shift toward saving money, and a fundamental review of the state’s tasks and spending is not conducted, minor adjustments to taxes on items like tobacco, plastic, or sugar will prove insufficient, arguing that “the lemon has already been squeezed.”
Furthermore, Andreas Mattfeldt, a budget politician from the CDU, urged Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) and the other ministers to implement austerity measures. Mattfeldt told the “Bild” that for a budget of around 600 billion euros, saving 30 billion euros is a manageable feat, provided it is done systematically. He asserted that the political will is all that is required, pointing specifically to the necessity of aggressively reducing subsidies at all levels and in all sectors, including the social domain. However, he also suggested that the discussion should include whether wealthier individuals could contribute more financially.
