Dietmar Bartsch, a finance expert from the Left party, criticised the Greens for their announcement that they intend to bring a lawsuit against the 2025 federal budget before the Federal Constitutional Court. He pointed out that it was the Greens in the previous Bundestag who had equipped then‑leaders Merz and Klingbeil with the instruments for the special fund. “Complaining now about the way it has been played out is dishonest, especially since the Greens have no legal avenue to pursue” Bartsch told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (RND).
Bartsch added that the decision not to fundamentally reform the debt brake and instead rely on shadow budgets and shifting liabilities was a grave mistake, and that the Greens must confront this. He also criticised the budget policy of the black‑red coalition, saying neither the 2025 nor the 2026 budgets handle the money of citizens with honesty or responsibility, calling them the biggest fraud of recent decades.
Andreas Audretsch, the deputy chair of the Greens’ parliamentary group, claimed that billions earmarked for infrastructure and climate protection were spent on consumption and “the fossil past”. However, to file a lawsuit at the Constitutional Court, the Greens would need a quorum of at least 25 % of seats in the Bundestag. Even with the Left’s support this threshold is not met; cooperation with the AfD would be required, a prospect the Greens and the Left reject.
According to the Greens themselves, they are now seeking support from civil society to explore how a constitutional complaint could be pursued. They also note that in the former Bundestag, together with the Union and SPD, they voted for a €500 billion special fund and for a de facto suspension of the debt brake for defense spending.
