09.02.2026
Joint Press Release of the Coalition of GREENS, SPD, and Volt – February 9, 2026
The GREENS, SPD, and Volt factions are making every effort to ensure that the 2026 budget is passed by the City Council (Stadtverordnetenversammlung) before the local elections. Faction chairs Dr. Katharina Knacker and Dimitrios Bakakis (GREENS), Ursula Busch (SPD), and Martin Huber (Volt) are working on an agreement with the opposition to avoid a standstill for Frankfurt.
“We stand by the draft budget submitted by the City Executive (Magistrat), and we recognize a high sense of responsibility for the welfare of the city among most democratic factions,” explain Dr. Katharina Knacker and Dimitrios Bakakis, faction chairs of the GREENS in the Römer. “However, all factions that ultimately approve the budget also expect to be able to set their own priorities. This must be taken into account during the negotiations.”
“We are ready for compromises so that the budget can still be passed. All democratic factions are aware of the consequences of a missing budget resolution. Above all, the independent providers (freie Träger) in the social and educational sectors and many cultural workers who depend on city subsidies would be hard hit. No one can want that,” says Ursula Busch, faction chair and social policy spokesperson for the SPD faction in the Römer.
In addition to the draft budget submitted by the City Executive, the factions are once again presenting budget motions.
The GREENS, SPD, and Volt are jointly submitting nearly 250 budget motions, which will also be up for a vote on March 5 during the final session of the City Council before the local elections.
“With these budget motions, we want to, on the one hand, provide more support to numerous institutions—whose work is important for the people in this city—and furthermore, provide sufficient financial resources for several projects so that they can actually be realized. We are aware that the current situation without a fixed coalition majority requires compromise, but we are working to convince a majority of these initiatives,” explains Martin Huber, faction chair of Volt.
Dr. Katharina Knacker and Dimitrios Bakakis, faction chairs of the GREENS in the Römer, elaborate: “We have submitted motions for all policy areas. In doing so, it was important to us to primarily support existing associations and institutions. These contribute significantly to making Frankfurt more livable and moving it forward. They deserve great thanks. But applause alone is not enough. We must also support them financially in their important work. One thing is clear from the variety of areas our motions cover: climate protection and social justice are two sides of the same coin. This is because the climate catastrophe hits those with little money the hardest. Climate protection is human protection. This is shown, for example, by the motions ‘Heat Monitoring at Frankfurt Schools’ and ‘Attractive Hauptwache through Innovative Greening’.”
Ursula Busch, faction chair and social policy spokesperson for the SPD faction in the Römer: “Families in our city deserve support and opportunities above all. All-day schooling requires us to provide good care options, especially in the afternoons. Here, we want to support the children’s and youth associations organized in the Frankfurt Youth Ring to participate actively. We want to give young people even more opportunities to develop healthy self-confidence and to get involved in their free time. As we know, this is an important foundation for remaining active in volunteer work (Ehrenamt) as an adult. The importance of this is demonstrated, for example, by the DLRG with its station on the banks of the Main. The volunteers, particularly in disaster relief, do an incredible amount for the common good of our city. Not only for children and young people, but also for the elderly and the sick. As in previous years, the promotion of volunteer work is therefore a high priority for us.”
Martin Huber, faction chair of Volt: “Particularly important to us is the funding of the Housing First project by MainWeg gGmbH, as state funding will not be available in the foreseeable future. The project impressively shows that direct access to one’s own apartment is the decisive key to lifting people out of homelessness permanently. What this means for individuals was recently made visible through a touching exhibition in St. Paul’s Church in December, which tangibly depicted the realities of those affected. Another focus is labor market and integration counseling for persons with tolerated stay status (Geduldete) and refugees.
It addresses the actual problem, namely a highly complex and often obstructive bureaucracy that keeps people in a state of hopelessness for years while simultaneously causing high costs for the state and municipalities. Many of those affected want to work and contribute but fail due to legal uncertainties, long waiting times, and a lack of support. With our budget motion, we are adopting a proven solution from other cities that combines counseling on residency law, the labor market, and social support.”
