After around 30 hours of discussion, the traffic light government agreed on some of its biggest points of contention. But the criticism from the opposition is great.
For three days, the traffic light government discussed the major points of conflict, interrupted only by a trip to the Netherlands for government consultations. Then, on Tuesday evening, the agreement of the coalition partners was presented. (Read more about this here) and promptly triggers sharp criticism from the opposition.
Left parliamentary group leader Dietmar Bartsch said t-online about the result: “Very, very embarrassing!” An increase in the truck toll “not a total work of art”but was a debacle for the traffic light government and a “Chancellor with continued weakness in leadership”.
After less than two years, there is no necessary sign of determination in the coalition. “It is disgraceful that after three days the three traffic light parties are only making vague announcements before the citizens and are hardly able to announce anything concrete”continues Bartsch. “The fact that Habeck’s unworldly heating diktat survived the coalition committee is bad news for millions of citizens.”
Weidel: “There can be no talk of relief”
Alice Weidel, parliamentary group and party leader of the AfD, also sharply criticized the federal government after the end of the coalition committee. “There can be no question of a relief for the citizens”, said Weidel t-online. The “new Germany pace”which the coalition is talking about, is leading Germany “into the abyss”. “The only relief for the citizens that this failed coalition could still provide would be the resignation of the federal government.”
Weidel further explained the 30-hour negotiations: “The mountain gave birth to a mouse.” The meager result of the coalition committee is that the “Minister of Finance can announce that the completely absurd ideas of the Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection regarding the ban on heating will be toned down and that the Greens can continue to fantasize about the ‘heat transition'”.
“Scholz says goodbye as climate chancellor”
And there is also great criticism from the German Environmental Aid, which is close to the Greens. Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Federal Managing Director of the German Environmental Aid, said t-online: Among other things, the Greens could book an agreement on the Building Energy Act and a gradual farewell to oil and gas heating on the credit side.
At the request of the FDP, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), on the other hand, allowed the climate protection law he helped to pass to be weakened. “He is thus saying goodbye as climate chancellor and falling behind the claims of the previous government under Angela Merkel.”
Greenpeace criticized similar points: “By giving up the obligation to implement each individual sector goal, Chancellor Scholz (…) is acknowledging that his party’s greatest success in terms of climate policy, the Climate Protection Act, will be gutted”explained Martin Kaiser, board member of Greenpeace Germany.
Climate activist Carla Reemtsma sees the goals of the coalition missed. “Anyone who – shortly after the emission targets for traffic and buildings were missed – blocked concrete measures such as a ban on motorway expansion and a ban on gas heating does not want climate protection”she wrote on Twitter.
Former Minister of Health Jens Spahn spoke on Twitter “a lot of fluff” in the joint declaration of the traffic light coalition partners. “I have now read the 16 pages several times: little that is concrete, several reservations about scrutiny, sometimes contradictory, a lot of nonsense, certainly nothing (sic!) for which you would have to keep Germany in suspense for 48 hours.”
The economist Veronika Grimm praised the results of the coalition committee. “It turns out to be positive that the coalition committee took its time”said Grimm of Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post” (Wednesday edition). “Financing rail expansion through a truck toll is a good idea”emphasized the member of the Advisory Council for the assessment of overall economic development.
