German budget crisis seen dragging into next year as coalition haggles

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany December 6, 2023. REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen

BERLIN (Reuters) -The German government will not be able to finalise its 2024 budget before the end of the year, a senior ruling party official said on Thursday, as a fractious coalition tries to narrow differences on fixing a budget hole.

"This is however not a crisis," German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said, playing down the need to get the budget through parliament before the end of the year.