Klingbeil draws the line at Karlsruhe’s staffing wish list

Berlin has found a curious way to practise restraint: by sparing the money and withholding the people. That is the broad outline of Lars Klingbeil’s 2027 draft for the Federal Constitutional Court, which leaves Karlsruhe’s request for 13 new posts and 17 position upgrades untouched — or rather, unfulfilled.

The finance minister’s refusal is not a cut in the crude sense. The court’s budget is still set to rise from 46.4 million euros to 49.1 million euros next year. Personnel and pension spending are also due to climb, from 32.8 million euros to 35.6 million euros. The number of regular posts remains at 197, and the court is exempt from the general staffing reductions that apply elsewhere in the federal administration.

Karlsruhe had asked for the extra positions for a fairly ordinary list of tasks: IT, press work, personnel administration and judicial administration. It also wanted additional staff for matters concerning the European Court of Human Rights and for its international responsibilities. Of the 13 requested posts, 3.5 would have been temporary and would disappear again at the end of 2030. Three further possible posts for IT security are being handled in a separate procedure.

The first round in the Bundestag Budget Committee brought little comfort to the court. CDU/CSU and SPD left the draft unchanged, while the opposition pushed for the additional posts to be included. For now, Karlsruhe has lost that round. But budget politics in Berlin has a habit of postponing decisions until the last possible moment, which is often presented as prudence and usually looks more like indecision.

The dispute is not settled yet. In the reconciliation session in November, the positions can still be added back in. Until then, the court must make do with a larger budget and the same headcount, a combination that is evidently considered a form of discipline.

The spending plans do not stop at salaries and administration. For a new multi-year coaching and workshop programme, 110,000 euros are planned for 2027, with another 135,000 euros to follow by 2030. Karlsruhe is also budgeting additional welfare measures for its staff, including a multi-year contract for yoga courses.

There is also money set aside for pageantry. An international conference marking the court’s 75th anniversary is to receive 340,000 euros, and another 240,000 euros is earmarked for celebrations on German Unity Day. So the institution may yet find funds for ceremonies, workshops and wellbeing. What it still does not have, at least for now, is the staff it says it needs.

Written by Freya Stensrud freya.stensrud@alpineweekly.com