Steffen Kampeter

Political positions

Budget and financial policy

"Sound budgets are a provision for the future in the best sense of the word," emphasises Kampeter. In his guest commentary Staying on course in the Handelsblatt of 18 February 2013, he writes that this is not about "mechanical deficit reduction, but about setting clear priorities. Intelligent consolidation accompanies structural reforms and is an expression of a growth-orientated economic and financial policy. Only orderly finances with a clear consolidation course are the key to sustainable growth and lasting prosperity."

In his article Die Schulden-Propheten irren! Kampeter contradicts the view that the debt crisis can be solved with even more debt: "High liabilities impair growth’, says Kampeter; some European countries have reached a point where they can no longer cover their budget deficits with new debt. Their debt has already reached a level that questions their proper servicing. Genuine economic performance requires competitiveness: ‘Economic strength that only exists on paper, because it is only a statistical reflection of debt-financed government spending, cannot be used to establish debt sustainability."

Kampeter's credo is "spending discipline", which he describes as an "honest, sound budgetary policy". He says: "High debts are an expression of political despondency."

Debt brake

For Kampeter, limiting public debt is also a question of intergenerational justice: "Because today's debts are tomorrow's burdens - in other words, the bill that future generations will have to pay. With the introduction of the debt brake, we have taken an important step towards reducing public debt."

Europe

In an interview with RBB - Inforadio, Steffen Kampeter called for a strict "spending diet"’ for the Budget of the European Union. "Better" and not "more" should be the motto of the 2014-2020 multiannual financial plan and thus also reflect the national consolidation efforts at the European level.

European rescue package

"Stability needs protection," says Kampeter: The ESM is the stability and protection mechanism of the Economic and Monetary Union. Even with the best prevention, a European institution equipped with the financial resources and legitimised by national parliaments is necessary to provide financial assistance to member states with refinancing problems on the capital market, prevent herd panics and reduce the risk of contagion for other eurozone countries. Germany's liability is limited to 190 billion euros. This is stated in Article 8 (5) of the ESM Treaty. There is no automatic liability mechanism and no possibility of changing this or the maximum liability amount without the involvement of the German Bundestag, writes Kampeter in an article for the FAZ on 3 August 2012.