German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Transport Minister Volker Wissing attended the third national aviation conference at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Germany, on September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo
BERLIN, Nov 21 (Reuters) – Economy Minister Robert Habeck has expressed concern about the impact of a recent court ruling on Germany’s Climate Transformation fund. He stated that the transfer of funds back from this fund following the ruling has caused a chain reaction that leveraged far more capital than previously anticipated. Habeck emphasized that these funds are not an add-on that can be carelessly discarded and expressed concern that if investments were not made now, the loss to the economy would be even greater.
At a news conference in Jena, Habeck also mentioned that the government was now urgently preparing and discussing how to set up its budget in light of the court ruling and missing funds. Transport Minister Volker Wissing also commented on the ruling, emphasizing the need for budget re-evaluation and prioritization in light of its consequences on government funds. Wissing stated that this reassessment must take place immediately, and he could not anticipate the exact result at this time.
Reporting by Riham Alkousaa