Coalition negotiations
Wissing: No portable alternatives to traffic lights
FDP General Secretary Volker Wissing: Failure of coalition negotiations «not an option». Photo: Christophe Gateau / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Shortly after the coalition negotiations began, thousands demonstrated in Berlin for more climate protection. The pressure on the negotiators is growing. For the FDP General Secretary, failure is simply «not an option».
FDP General Secretary Volker Wissing sees “no sustainable alternatives” to a government alliance with the SPD and the Greens. A failure of the coalition negotiations is “not an option,” Wissing told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”.
The talks will be conducted accordingly «responsibly and constructively», he assured us. In addition, Wissing reiterated the relevance of climate protection in the negotiations after thousands of demonstrators in Berlin called for more progress in this direction on Friday. The SPD, Greens and FDP started their coalition talks on Thursday.
Key question: investments
“All three parties know that it will take an enormous effort to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees,” said Wissing, referring to a key demand made by the demonstrators. “We are ready and want to do our part to achieve real climate protection.” Regarding the annual investment requirement of 50 billion euros that the Greens see, he said: “We will negotiate with each other to what extent we invest.” All investments must be “solidly financed”. But it is just as clear that attention must be paid to currency stability.
The Green Bundestag member Nyke Slawik demanded tough negotiations from her party on the issue of climate protection. “There was no statement in the exploratory paper about a real change in traffic, away from road construction and into climate-friendly mobility such as rail and bicycle traffic,” said Slawik to the editorial network in Germany. That is precisely why tough negotiations are still needed at the traffic lights. “I am thinking in particular of the more than a thousand climate-damaging motorway expansions throughout Germany by 2030.”
«Need the pressure»
It is important that people continue to take to the streets to demonstrate for climate protection, said Slawik. “We need pressure from civil society if the next government is really to become a climate government.” She believes that a traffic light coalition will bring about a significant improvement in climate protection. In addition, some good points emerged in the exploratory paper, such as the proposals for solar energy on roofs, two percent of the country’s area for the generation of wind energy and to phase out coal. “But that alone will not be enough to meet the Paris climate targets.”
At their demonstration on Friday, thousands in Berlin called for the future federal government to put the fight against climate change at the center of the political agenda. The fear that climate targets could be neglected in the coalition negotiations, also expressed on Friday representatives of environmental associations.
In the exploratory paper, the parties agreed, among other things, that the coal phase-out “ideally” should be achieved by 2030 and that the expansion of renewable energies should be significantly promoted.
According to Wissing, the state-owned Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) will play a role in the financing. “It can finance a lot of investments, for example for the necessary transformation in climate protection, and act more strongly as an innovation and investment agency,” said the FDP General Secretary of the “Rheinische Post”. At the same time, the guard rails laid down in the soundings could be adhered to.
Good atmosphere for discussion
SPD leader Norbert Walter-Borjans, meanwhile, praised the good discussion climate with the FDP and the Greens at the start of the coalition negotiations. “It was the continuation of the good atmosphere that we had during the explorations. We came together in a very constructive attitude, ”said Walter-Borjans of the“ Augsburger Allgemeine ”. The good handling is also shown in how discreetly results are treated. “That is a huge difference to the talks we had with our previous coalition partner.”
Next Monday (October 25th) the 16 specialist working groups of the three parties will begin their talks and negotiate details on various topics that will be included in the coalition agreement.