Saxony or Thuringia: Which government has it easier?

In view of tight budgets and high investment requirements, the deputy minister presidents of Saxony and Thuringia are questioning rigid positions in financial policy. "The most absurd thing you can do economically is to save into the crisis and thus exacerbate it," said Thuringia's Finance Minister Katja Wolf (BSW) in a joint podcast interview with Saxony's Social Affairs Minister Petra Köpping (SPD). The interview was conducted by the "Leipziger Volkszeitung" and the "Sächsische Zeitung".

"We are not a Swabian housewife"

Wolf defended Thuringia's borrowing, which had taken on a budget with a deficit of around 1.3 billion euros. The new loans would be used to finance investments in schools, police and training facilities, among other things. "We are not a Swabian housewife. We run economies," emphasized the Deputy Prime Minister.

Köpping pointed out that Saxony had adopted the 2025/26 double budget without new loans, but that reserves had been used for this purpose. A gap of 2.9 billion euros is looming for the upcoming budget. "We are currently examining potential savings. Then we will see whether we can close the deficit." If there is no other solution, we will have to talk about loans. "We need them for investments," said Köpping.

Saxony in a somewhat more difficult starting position

Both states govern without their own majority in parliament. Wolf spoke of a "privileged situation" in Thuringia, where the governing coalition and the opposition in the state parliament each have 44 votes, resulting in a stalemate. This means that no one can vote against the government. At the same time, Wolf admitted that the constellation is "exhausting" and prolongs processes.

In Saxony, on the other hand, a separate majority has to be organized for every decision, said Köpping. This makes governing much more complex. Nevertheless, even under these conditions, a budget had been passed and investments initiated. There is a strong "sense of unity" in the government.