Green Party Conference: Solutions for a “turned time”

The budget crisis overshadowed the start of the Green Party’s federal party conference. At the start there are words of praise for one’s own achievements. Migration policy, the biggest controversial topic, is only on the agenda on Saturday.

Right at the start of their federal party conference in Karlsruhe, domestic political events caught up with the Greens. The war in the Middle East was actually supposed to be the central topic at the meeting of more than 800 delegates on the first day. But then the decision came from the Federal Ministry of Finance: The debt brake should now be suspended for the current year.

And so the daily agenda was rewritten again and the federal budget also became the key point in the Karlsruhe trade fair and at the lectern. As in the past few days, the federal chairman of the Green Party, Omid Nouripour, warned that Germany should not “save itself to ruin”. And although Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck supported the debt brake, he vehemently pushed for a reform of this “rigid” principle – adapted to the current times, a “turned era”, as the Vice Chancellor put it.

“A lot has been achieved under the most difficult circumstances”

A “time turned” – this includes the major challenges for the Greens: the energy transition, the war of aggression against Ukraine, the energy crisis, the weakening economy. And as part of the ruling traffic light coalition, the Greens are currently experiencing “attacks from all sides,” said Nouripour. But in the eyes of the party leader, these attacks also show that the Greens have proven themselves to be part of the federal government. “Very, very much has been achieved in the most difficult circumstances”. As examples, Nouripour cited the now “irreversible” energy transition, but also the abolition of paragraph 219a banning advertising for abortions or the lowering of the voting age in the European elections to 16 years.

And Habeck also puts his own Greens in the light of a strong party that is ready to take responsibility and resolutely face the current challenges. In the 43 years since its founding, the party has become a “supporting pillar of this country’s democratic culture,” creating “support in times of uncertainty and trust in times of change,” said Habeck.

Sharp points against the CDU

With a view to the current economic and political crises, Nouripour promises: “We will find solutions.” What he means by this is much more than the quarrel with the billion-dollar hole in the federal budget. During the four days of the federal party conference, topics such as migration and asylum policy are also on the agenda. State and local authorities have long been warning about an impending or long-standing overload due to the high number of asylum seekers, and the opposition is also pushing hard for stricter regulations in order to place greater restrictions on immigration to Germany.

But the CDU, which sits on the opposition bench today, as part of the grand coalition, helped to cause the current acute problems, criticized Nouripour and even accused the Christian Democrats: “People, you’re not even capable of being in the opposition.” According to the Green Party leader, he cannot understand “why an opposition wants the government’s defeat more than the country’s success.”

Habeck also has clear tips in the direction of the CDU. Under the leadership of Friedrich Merz, this has become a “party of yesterday, led by a chairman of the day before yesterday”.

Habeck demands Willingness to compromise in asylum policy

But the asylum policy is also causing friction within the Greens’ own ranks. How far should one adapt to the line of the traffic light coalition? How far is the party moving away from its own principles?

Habeck calls for a willingness to compromise in this regard. “You can think closing the gaps in deportations is right or wrong,” he said. But it is important to be prepared to compromise “in order to protect and defend acceptance of the asylum system as a whole.” The right to asylum is the “core and DNA of this country’s promise of protection.” “We have to defend these achievements,” demanded Habeck.

Election of party executive and candidates for the European elections

Due to the changed schedule, the actual debate on migration policy will only take place on Saturday. Before that, the Greens want to re-elect their party leadership – or confirm it, because the incumbent dual leadership of Nouripour and Ricarda Lang is running for re-election. The candidates for next year’s European elections should also be determined. Terry Reintke, who has been an MEP since 2014, is running for first place on the list.