Germany – Traffic light parties prepare for coalition negotiations

After the approval of the party committees, the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party and FDP on starting coalition negotiations before. According to Green Party leader Annalina Barbock, the German coalition negotiations should begin “at the end of the week”. However, it did not say a specific date for Tuesday at ZDF “Morgenmagazin”. “It will now start at the end of the week. That is exactly what we are now making clear between the two parties,” she said.

First of all, the secretaries-general want to join forces once again to organize the talks. The working groups being formed could be a sign of potential future ministries. The stated goal is to form a government before Christmas.

Funding is still unclear

SPD leader Norbert Walter Borgens has admitted that projects and plans for a potential traffic light alliance have yet to be funded. “The money has to be deposited very clearly,” he told Funk Media Group newspapers (Tuesday). In the case of investments in the future, partial financing with loans is justified, “the debt brake certainly contains leeway for that.” In addition, there will be possibilities for state institutions such as development banks.

On Friday, the two parties’ negotiators completed their explorations and presented the results paper. After that, there should be no tax increases and the debt brake should be adhered to. The legal minimum wage should rise to 12 euros an hour. In terms of climate protection, the rapid expansion of renewable energies and the exit from coal, ideally by 2030, are planned, among others.

As the last of the three parties, the FDP accepted the exploratory results on Monday and voted to start coalition negotiations. In the coming weeks, it will also be a matter of planning and staffing in ministries.

A conflict looms between the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party over the Ministry of Finance in particular. FDP leader Christian Lindner has already expressed interest, and Green Party leader Robert Habeck responded angrily. However, plans related to the content of the coalition agreement must be determined first.

Free Democratic Party politicians demand the Ministry of Finance

Green politician Claudia Roth anticipates tough contention disputes. “Of course, the next few weeks in the struggle for a future-oriented policy will be intense, exhausting and difficult,” said Roth, who belongs to her party’s negotiating team Augsberger Allgemeine (Tuesday). “First of all, we are now negotiating the content, and eventually division of responsibilities will follow.”

Roth emphasized that potential government partners had not yet talked about filling ministries or designing departments. The demands of FDP politicians Marco Buschmann and Wolfgang Kubicki to grant the Ministry of Finance Lindner were dismissed as inappropriate. “It’s a dissonance that disturbs the sound, which has been really good so far,” Roth said. “It doesn’t really need tones like that, and it doesn’t make it any easier either.” (apa, dpa)