Finances: Wegner Tackles Budget Challenges: Prioritizing Savings in Berlin
Berlin's Governing Mayor Karim Wegner remains ambiguous about the 1.9 billion euros in savings needed for the current budget, spanning 2024 and 2025. He aims to engage in discussions with senators and districts, expressing the necessity to prioritize where reductions shall be made in flat-rate revenue fluctuations over the subsequent two years.
Last Thursday, the Berlin House of Representatives approved the dual budget for 2024 and 2025, incorporating estimated flat-rate savings that outweigh past average figures. During an RBB-Inforadio interview, Wegner refrained from specifying savings areas but emphasized his commitment to preserving funds in critical sectors like internal security and education.
Criticizing the debt brake, Wegner voiced his intention to initiate a reform initiative through the Bundesrat, provided it gains broad support. "Instead of triggering uncertainty with exorbitant proposals, such as petrol price hikes and increased heating costs, our focus should be on debt brake reform," he conveyed.
Insights
- The sources don't shed light on Governing Mayor Wegner's exact budget-saving strategies; however, Berlin has alluded to potential reductions in higher education, research, and cultural spending.
- Plans include trimming the tertiary education, research, and science budget by 250 million euros in 2025 (122 million euros for state universities and 20 million for Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin).
- The cultural sector faces a 12% reduction, affecting institutions and programs like GRIPS Theater and Oyoun.
- Overall, Berlin is targeting a €130 million deficit in its cultural budget and aims to leverage existing infrastructure investments for the Women's European Football Championship bid in 2029.
