Negotiations between the coalition leaders are ongoing
Berlin According to government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, the negotiations of the coalition committee are coming to an end. There will also be a good result, Hebestreit said on Monday in Berlin. “The government is up and running.” But there are still meetings. Hebestreit announced that the traffic light leaders would inform the public after the conclusion of the round of negotiations, “ideally in the early afternoon”.
The Greens are canceling the usual press conference after their committee meetings on Monday “due to the current political situation”. The PK planned for 2 p.m. with co-party leader Ricarda Lang is canceled.
The FDP had already canceled its committee meeting and a subsequent press conference in the morning. The leaders of the coalition parties sat together in the Chancellery for almost 18 hours at noon.
Finance Minister and FDP leader Christian Lindner, however, spoke up on Twitter from the coalition round. “Ingenuity, #lack of sleep – #coalition committee. CL,” writes Lindner without giving any further details.
The heads of the traffic light coalition have been meeting since Sunday evening at 6.30 p.m SPD, Greens and FDP. They want to clear up several points of contention. Hebestreit added that the German-Dutch government consultations should start as planned and on time in Rotterdam. The results of the coalition committee were then to be explained to the press by representatives of the parties.
Gradual replacement of the heating system causes discussions
At the meeting, the coalition partners want to find solutions to a long list of controversial issues. These include, for example, a faster expansion of motorways, the controversial plans to replace oil and gas heating systems and the financing of basic child security.
The FDPBudget politician Otto Fricke said on Deutschlandfunk on Monday morning that for him the long negotiations were more of a sign that efforts were being made to find compromises.
The First Parliamentary Secretary of the Greens, Irene Mihalic, said in ARD– “Morgenmagazin”: “We have a lot of tasks ahead of us that we urgently need to deal with, especially in the area of the climate crisis.” A lot has already been achieved in the expansion of renewable energies, but now we also have to look at other areas. She mentioned heating in the building sector and transport.
Mihalic spoke of the proposal for the gradual replacement of the heating system by the Minister of Economic Affairs Robert Habeck (Greens) and Minister of Construction Klara Geywitz (SPD). “Of course, these are also important points that need to be discussed intensively. And if the price for that is a night session, then please. But the main thing is that we are really struggling to find solutions.”
She defended the plans, which envisage the installation of new heating systems from 2024, each of which will be operated with at least 65 percent renewable energy. This is necessary to ensure predictability.
In the past few weeks, the tone in the coalition had become much rougher.
(Photo: Getty Images)
In the past few weeks, the tone in the coalition had become much rougher. Vice-Chancellor Habeck had even complained about a breach of trust because a bill to replace oil and gas heating systems from his house had been pushed through to the media.
CDUCEO Friedrich Merz called the ban on new oil and gas heating systems planned for 2024 in the ARD-Broadcast “Report from Berlin” on Sunday an error. He accused the coalition of relying too heavily on bans and paternalism when it came to climate protection.
>> Read here: All current developments in the energy crisis in the news blog
Before the coalition committee, FDP politicians repeatedly urged discipline when spending money – especially with a view to the federal budget for 2024 that is now pending.
