The SPD wants to make a new push to conclude a pact for the rule of law. So far, there has been no agreement between the federal government and the states. Johannes Fechner, parliamentary secretary and legal advisor of the SPD parliamentary group, proposes a total sum of half a billion for job creation in the judiciary over the next few years. The Federal Government and the Länder are to each contribute half of this.
Helene Bubrowski
Political correspondent in Berlin.
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According to Fechner's ideas, the federal and state governments should provide 100 million euros annually. On the one hand, the federal share could consist in part of the funds earmarked in the federal budget for the digitization of the judiciary, but have not yet been used by the states. This amounts to EUR 25 million per year.
The other part is to be financed by the savings resulting from the planned halving of the substitute custodial sentence. The Federal Ministry of Justice assumes 50 million euros a year, the Association of Judges considers these calculations to be significantly exaggerated. Fechner estimates the savings at 25 million euros. The federal states are to contribute 50 million euros annually.
"The best laws are useless if we have too few staff in the courts," Fechner told the F.A.Z. The joint effort for a second pact "must be worth our rule of law". Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) has so far promised to provide the states with up to 200 million euros for digitization projects in the judiciary over the next few years, but he does not want to participate in financial support for job creation. The grand coalition had provided the countries with 220 million euros. The traffic light coalition agreement mentions that the pact for the rule of law should be consolidated.