The complete abolition of the solidarity surcharge and the criticism of basic child welfare are FDP classics. Even at the party conference, FDP leader Lindner does not want to forego these topics.
The FDP started its federal party conference in Berlin with a call for a “real economic turnaround” and a policy aimed at economic recovery. At the meeting in Berlin, the more than 600 delegates also want to chart the future course of their party in the traffic light coalition with the SPD and the Greens.
The FDP chairman Christian Lindner once again called for the solidarity surcharge to be completely abolished. If you follow the case law on solos, then the likelihood of success of the lawsuits against him “cannot be dismissed,” he said.
“Before we allow Karlsruhe to force us for legal reasons to forego the solidarity immediately and without a plan, we should rather make the clear political decision to forego it step by step in a planned manner.” The solidarity has now become a special tax on economic success for medium-sized businesses, crafts and industry, which Germany can no longer afford.
Lindner once again sharply criticized Family Minister Lisa Paus’s (Greens) concept of basic child security. He accused her of having to create up to 5,000 additional jobs. And according to a study commissioned by your ministry, up to 70,000 people would leave the workforce because they no longer have an incentive to work. “I’ll sum it up: We’re hiring 5,000 new civil servants who will distribute two billion euros in money so that the entire city of Aschaffenburg can then sign off from work.” Such a model is absurd and requires a change.
There is nothing against basic child security if the mutually agreed conditions are met, said Lindner. If that is not possible, the FDP is open to an alternative. “If there is a willingness to think differently, then here is our offer: Wouldn’t it be better to invest these billions in more, high-quality child care so that no one stays part-time against their own will because they know that the children are well accommodated. “
Lindner: Ukraine is Germany’s first line of defense against Putin
Lindner promised Ukraine further German help in its defense against Russia. At the party conference, he also made it clear that this was also in Germany’s own interest. “We support Ukraine because it is our first line of defense against Putin,” said Lindner. Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine – “but he means all of us and our way of life.”
Putin not only wants to remove Ukraine from the map, he also wants to divide Europe and NATO and ensure that the USA withdraws from Europe, warned Lindner. “Putin’s goal is not Ukraine. Putin’s goal is to be able to exercise power over us. And he must never be able to do that.”
What is necessary is to improve one’s own ability to defend the country and alliance, said the Federal Minister of Finance. The 100 billion special fund for the Bundeswehr will be used up in a few years, then the armed forces will have to be trained using regular resources. This will not work with ever new debts.
“The task that stands before us, to defend peace and freedom in Germany, Europe and the world, is not limited to a few quarters or years. It is potentially a task for decades and generations,” said Lindner. “And that’s why this can’t be done on credit. We need our economic strength to do this.”
Stark-Watzinger: “That’s not enough”
“Our country is currently not competitive,” says the party conference’s lead motion. “The economy is stagnating like no other industrial country. Excessive bureaucracy, high energy prices, high levels of taxes and duties as well as an acute shortage of skilled workers are significantly slowing down the German economy.” At the same time, “an oversized social budget puts a strain on the financial resources of the state and society.”
“Economic turnaround now. There is no doubt about it at all. Whether 0.2 or 0.3 percent growth, that is not enough,” said party vice-president and Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger in her opening speech. She viewed the excitement surrounding a twelve-point paper from the Liberals before the party conference as positive. She said: “For years, economic policy has not been discussed as intensely and in detail as it is these days. Economic policy is finally back in the public eye.”
Warnings from the SPD
Before the party conference, SPD chairwoman Saskia Esken invoked the commonalities of the coalition project and warned the Free Democrats against fostering doubts about cohesion. “In view of the current international crises, it would be contrary to state political responsibility to weaken the German position by questioning the coalition,” Esken told the editorial network Germany (RND).
She added: “We still have a lot of plans to do together. And despite all the differences, you shouldn’t forget that a lot of things will be decided and implemented without any arguments.” The SPD leader referred to the founding idea of the traffic light alliance: “We formed this coalition with a lot of courage – and also out of state political responsibility. The idea was that very different partners could advance the country precisely by putting their different ideas together .”