Germanys coalition in impasse over 2025 budget [Video]

The three parties in the German government are locked in a bitter dispute over the 2025 budget, with experts warning the stalemate could be the final straw for the uneasy coalition.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the liberal FDP, who came to power in 2021, have until July 3, the end of the current parliamentary term, to reach a compromise.

FDP Finance Minister Christian Lindner, a fiscal hawk, is demanding close to 30 billion euros ($32 billion) in savings — which the Greens and SPD have baulked at.

The coalition has faced many rows in the past but some pundits believe this could be the one that finally blows the government apart.

“These talks will decide the coalition’s continued presence in office,” said the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily this week.

While budget discussions have been difficult before, they have never lasted this long.

“It’s much more difficult …