BERLIN, Nov 4 The German government reminded the ex-Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel about restrictions on her privileges, including travel costs, and called for savings, the German magazine Spiegel reported, referring to the report of the Ministry of Finance to the Budget Committee of the Bundestag.
The document, which was at the disposal of the publication, states that the office of the former chancellor should not be «status», it is intended for «performance of official duties and permanent obligations», in addition, «it is excluded from using it for personal purposes and for obtaining additional income» .
It is also noted that the reimbursement of Merkel's travel expenses can only be considered if the former Federal Chancellor is traveling on behalf and in the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany.
As the magazine explained, the luxurious upkeep of Merkel's office, with nine employees in the Bundestag, drew criticism. According to the publication, she was reminded of the restrictions on privileges, including travel costs. The government coalition called on the ex-chancellor to observe the discipline of spending when working in the Bundestag, and negotiations were held between the chancellor's office and representatives of the office regarding the staffing of Merkel's staff in accordance with the requirements.
The publication also recalled that the government coalition wants to completely dissolve the office of the former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder because of his proximity to Russia. The ex-chancellor has now filed a lawsuit in a Berlin court against the so-called immobilization of his office.
Earlier, the budget committee decided in 2019 to reduce the size of the teams of the former chancellors. According to this, the former head of government should be paid for the work of a maximum of one office manager, two assistants, one office assistant and one team leader. One of the referents must be abolished after five years. Merkel's team, according to the publication, clearly goes beyond this.