The head of Germany's Development Ministry has called the planned cuts of €940 million to her budget "extremely painful" and "disproportionate," reported dpa.
"This has directly tangible effects. And it specifically affects human lives," Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan said in an interview with the Funke Media Group newspapers published on Saturday. She pointed to programmes like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
The Social Democrat said she would continue to fight for every euro and was counting on support from within the governing coalition.
The budget committee, in its so-called adjustment session, set the Development Ministry's budget at around €10.3 billion for 2025, which is approximately €940 million less than the previous year.
However, through reallocations within the ministry's budget, more funds than previously planned are to be allocated to the UN World Food Programme and efforts to combat and eradicate polio.
The Bundestag, or parliament, is expected to vote on the budget for the current year in mid-September. Due to the early Bundestag election, which led to a conservative-led coalition government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a budget for 2025 has not been approved yet, leaving the ministries operating under a provisional budget.
Minister aims to use funds more efficiently
Alabali Radovan stated that her ministry is reviewing "how we can become even more efficient" and will continue the review until the end of the year.
"We need to ensure even more that every euro achieves the greatest possible impact." She argued that this approach was smarter than withdrawing from development policy in certain regions or tasks.
Overall, given the declining funds, it is essential to better link development cooperation with economic collaboration.
- Germany
- Minister
- Budget
- Cuts
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
