The Constitutional Court declared that the €60 billion special budget, which the government had allocated for the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic but did not spend, could not be used in other areas, especially climate protection.
The decision was described as a major defeat for the government, which had planned to spend the money in the 2024 budget; the opposition Union Parties described the Federal Constitutional Court's decision as a "slap in the face of the coalition government".
According to the 2024 budget, the German government planned to spend around € 445.7 billion next year. In reaction to the judgement, Finance Minister Christian Lindner announced a temporary freeze on all spending commitments targeted in the budget for next year.