Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

BUDGET

Brexit and budget top lively Bundestag debate led by Merkel

It was a lively day in German politics on Wednesday, as politicians debated Brexit, the budget, migrants - and even the Alternative for Germany's (AfD)suspicious party donations.

Published: 21 November 2018 12:50 CET
Brexit and budget top lively Bundestag debate led by Merkel
Chancellor Angela Merkel presents her voting card in the Bundestag on Wednesday. Photo: DPA

In an impassioned speech, Angela Merkel raised concerns about the state of the world, where individual interests and a return of nationalism make it increasingly difficult to conclude global agreements.

It was Merkel's first speech in the Bundestag since she announced she was stepping down as leader of the centre right Christian Democrats (CDU) after 18 years. 

The Cold War world was terrible, “but it was clear”, Merkel said. Today, it is not clear how nations will act with each other. She said a strong Europe was right for Germany. “German interest means always thinking along with the others,” she said.

Despite difficult compromises, Merkel relies on the approval of the 27 EU states for the Brexit treaty with the UK.

SEE ALSO: Merkel defends UN migration pact amid party split

“We agree to this withdrawal treaty,” Merkel said. “We still have reservations from Spain,” she said with reference to the Gibraltar question.

SEE ALSO: Merkel 'very happy' Brexit draft deal has been reached

She hoped that there would be a solution by the Brexit summit next Sunday.

Centre left Social Democrats (SPD) leader Andrea Nahles said that Britain's withdrawal from the EU was a turning point.

She said there must be “more cooperation” within Europe. Nahles renewed her proposal for a European-wide unemployment insurance.

SEE ALSO: 'I'm still holding out for a people's vote': The Brexit reaction from Germany

Plans for this, however, have been met with resistance from coalition partner CDU and its sister party the Christian Socialists (CSU).

AfD payments brought up

Meanwhile, AfD faction leader Alice Weidel went into defence mode over the debate about dubious donations received by the party from abroad and stressed that the money had been paid back.

Co-leaders of AfD Alice Weidel and Alexander Gauland hug. Photo: DPA

Weidel has come under increasing pressure since German media revealed recently that the AfD's Lake Constance branch received 18 donations from a Swiss pharmaceutical firm, PWS, between July and September 2017, totalling some 150,000 Swiss francs (€130,000 euros).

On Wednesday Weidel said: “There were no cash cases that were carried back and forth and whose contents disappeared into drawers and whose whereabouts no one remembers.”

The AfD co-leader stressed that the matter had not cost the taxpayers a single cent. With a view to her own affair, she stressed: “Yes, we made mistakes. We recognized it, reacted and repaid it. The Constance public prosecutor's office is now investigating Weidel on suspicion of an infringement of the party law.

Merkel's dry response to Weidel received a round of applause. “The nice thing about free debates is that everyone gets to talk about what they think is important for the country,” she said.

Focus for 2019 budget will be families

With a total expenditure of €356.4 billion euros, €3.24 billion euros have been budgeted for 2019.

SEE ALSO: Why pressure is growing on the German government to cut your taxes

On Friday, the federal budget, which is to get by without new debts for the sixth time in a row, is to be finally adopted by the members of parliament.

Since 2014, it has been possible every year to ensure that expenditure does not exceed income – this is also due to the bubbling tax revenues. But due to the good revenue situation, there has been massive criticism that the coalition is not easing the burden on citizens by lowering taxes.

SEE ALSO: Should people without children be forced to pay more tax in Germany?

However, despite ongoing repayments, the debt burden is still around two trillion euros – around €26,520 per capita.

In addition to the relief for health insurance contributions and pension improvements, the focus will be on families in 2019: a relief package of €9.8 billion euros per year will be put together.

Thousands of planned new jobs with the security authorities and customs will also be discussed.

However, pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) leader Christian Lindner accused the federal government of unsound budget policies. He accused the coalition of “creating demands that will strangle the budget in the future”.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

BREXIT

OPINION: Pre-Brexit Brits in Europe should be given EU long-term residency

The EU has drawn up plans to make it easier for non-EU citizens to gain longterm EU residency so they can move more easily around the bloc, but Italy-based citizens' rights campaigner Clarissa Killwick says Brits who moved to the EU before Brexit are already losing out.

Published: 8 December 2023 14:34 CET
OPINION: Pre-Brexit Brits in Europe should be given EU long-term residency

With all the talk about the EU long-term residency permit and the proposed improvements there is no mention that UK citizens who are Withdrawal Agreement “beneficiaries” are currently being left out in the cold.

The European Commission has stated that we can hold multiple statuses including the EU long-term permit (Under a little-known EU law, third-country nationals can in theory acquire EU-wide long-term resident status if they have lived ‘legally’ in an EU country for at least five years) but in reality it is just not happening.

This effectively leaves Brits locked into their host countries while other third country nationals can enjoy some mobility rights. As yet, in Italy, it is literally a question of the computer saying no if someone tries to apply.

The lack of access to the EU long-term permit to pre-Brexit Brits is an EU-wide issue and has been flagged up to the European Commission but progress is very slow.

READ ALSO: EU government settle on rules for how non-EU citizens could move around Europe

My guess is that few UK nationals who already have permanent residency status under the Withdrawal Agreement are even aware of the extra mobility rights they could have with the EU long-term residency permit – or do not even realise they are two different things.

Perhaps there won’t be very large numbers clamouring for it but it is nothing short of discrimination not to make it accessible to British people who’ve built their lives in the EU.

They may have lost their status as EU citizens but nothing has changed concerning the contributions they make, both economically and socially.

An example of how Withdrawal Agreement Brits in Italy are losing out

My son, who has lived almost his whole life here, wanted to study in the Netherlands to improve his employment prospects.

Dutch universities grant home fees rather than international fees to holders of an EU long-term permit. The difference in fees for a Master’s, for example, is an eye-watering €18,000. He went through the application process, collecting the requisite documents, making the payments and waited many months for an appointment at the “questura”, (local immigration office).

On the day, it took some persuading before they agreed he should be able to apply but then the whole thing was stymied because the national computer system would not accept a UK national. I am in no doubt, incidentally, that had he been successful he would have had to hand in his WA  “carta di soggiorno”.

This was back in February 2022 and nothing has budged since then. In the meantime, it is a question of pay up or give up for any students in the same boat as my son. There is, in fact, a very high take up of the EU long-term permit in Italy so my son’s non-EU contemporaries do not face this barrier.

Long-term permit: The EU’s plan to make freedom of movement easier for non- EU nationals 

Completing his studies was stalled by a year until finally his Italian citizenship came through after waiting over 5 years.  I also meet working adults in Italy with the EU long-term permit who use it for work purposes, such as in Belgium and Germany, and for family reunification.  

Withdrawal agreement card should double up as EU long-term residency permit

A statement that Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries should be able to hold multiple statuses is not that easy to find. You have to scroll quite far down the page on the European Commission’s website to find a link to an explanatory document. It has been languishing there since March 2022 but so far not proved very useful.

It has been pointed out to the Commission that the document needs to be multilingual not just in English and “branded” as an official communication from the Commission so it can be used as a stand-alone. But having an official document you can wave at the immigration authorities is going to get you nowhere if Member State governments haven’t acknowledged that WA beneficiaries can hold multiple statuses and issue clear guidance and make sure systems are modified accordingly.

I can appreciate this is no mean feat in countries where they do not usually allow multiple statuses or, even if they do, issue more than one residency card. Of course, other statuses we should be able to hold are not confined to EU long-term residency, they should include the EU Blue Card, dual nationality, family member of an EU citizen…

Personally, I do think people should be up in arms about this. The UK and EU negotiated an agreement which not only removed our freedom of movement as EU citizens, it also failed to automatically give us equal mobility rights to other third country nationals. We are now neither one thing nor the other.

It would seem the only favour the Withdrawal Agreement did us was we didn’t have to go out and come back in again! Brits who follow us, fortunate enough to get a visa, may well pip us at the post being able to apply for EU long-term residency as clearly defined non-EU citizens.

I have been bringing this issue to the attention of the embassy in Rome, FCDO and the European Commission for three years now. I hope we will see some movement soon.

Finally, there should be no dragging of heels assuming we will all take citizenship of our host countries. Actually, we shouldn’t have to, my son was fortunate, even though it took a long time. Others may not meet the requirements or wish to give up their UK citizenship in countries which do not permit dual nationality.  

Bureaucratic challenges may seem almost insurmountable but why not simply allow our Withdrawal Agreement permanent card to double up as the EU long-term residency permit.

Clarissa Killwick,

Since 2016, Clarissa has been a citizens’ rights campaigner and advocate with the pan-European group, Brexpats – Hear Our Voice.
She is co-founder and co-admin of the FB group in Italy, Beyond Brexit – UK citizens in Italy.

SHOW COMMENTS