Forming a government: What unites the Greens and the FDP – and what separates them

The Greens and the FDP are looking to join forces before entering into possible talks with the Union and the SPD. Where are there overlaps in terms of content, where are there differences? An overview.

After the federal elections, the Greens and FDP will play the role of Chancellor-makers. Without them, hardly any government can be formed. The Union needs both for a so-called Jamaica alliance, the SPD needs them for a traffic light.

Green and yellow – do they go together? Difficult but possible, says Greens boss Robert Habeck, who has already successfully negotiated a coalition with the CDU and FDP in Schleswig-Holstein. From his experience it makes sense, “that the parties that are initially furthest apart, let’s see whether they can manage it together,” he said in the NDR. Those are the FDP and the Greens – “we are really contrary when it comes to social, tax and financial issues”.

Talking helps, one thinks apparently also at the FDP – and decided to start “preliminary explorations” with the Greens about a possible cooperation with the government.

Where are the contents of the agreement, where are the two parties far apart? An overview:

It gets difficult when it comes to the topic money. The FDP rules out tax increases. Even more: Taxes should go down, also for high earners. The approach of the Greens is completely different, they want to increase the top tax rate and also collect more inheritance tax for the state. They want to loosen the debt brake for climate-friendly investments.

Also on the subject social justice there are worlds between the FDP and the Greens. Statutory minimum wage, more Hartz IV, state basic child security – the FDP will not support all of these green proposals, on the contrary. She even wants to relax the protection against dismissal.

And even if both parties are up for more Climate protection pronounce: The way there is very different between the FDP and the Greens. The Greens want to achieve this with state funds and also ban some things in the future, for example internal combustion engines. The FDP relies on innovation and the initiative of the industry.

Overall, both parties have a very different picture of that society: the Greens see the state as an actor for the community. The FDP sees the state more as a brake and the initiative for action more in the private sector.

There are also a lot in common between the Greens and the FDP – for example at digitalization, Foreign policy and Civil rights. Both parties have been exchanging information in an informal discussion group for years. Title: “Lebensstern”, like a West Berlin restaurant.

The most important intersections between the Greens and the FDP explicitly include respect for individual ways of life, such as the Marriage for everyone. Both also take otherwise liberal positions, for example on the subject of abortion. In the Foreign policy Both want more contact with Russia, but Germany’s ties to the West should be preserved.

In matters digitalization The Greens and the FDP are calling for more speed, both of which are not just referring to the expansion of the network. Rather, they agree that digitization can also mean an attack on civil rights and that there must also be protective mechanisms here.

In the Immigration Both parties demand easier naturalization: The FDP sees advantages for the labor market and therefore wants performance criteria. The Greens want dual citizenship and local voting rights for immigrants.