Status: 10/26/2022 5:55 p.m
Climate protection, business and transport: SPD and Greens presented the first plans for the red-green coalition in Lower Saxony on Wednesday evening. Climate protection in particular should be given high priority.
The SPD and the Greens have therefore agreed to significantly expand renewable energies. By 2030, at least 75 percent of energy consumption should be covered by renewable energies. In 2035, the share should be 90 percent. By 2040, no fossil fuels should be used at all. “Either made in Lower Saxony or through energy imports,” SPD leader Stephan Weil made clear.
Climate impact assessment in future decisions
The future state government wants to focus on climate protection in all of its work – in all departments. Julia Willie Hamburg, chief negotiator for the Greens, explained that with every project they want to check whether the climate goals of the state government are being achieved.
Lower Saxony should be climate neutral
These are goals that are also crucial for the economy. “We aspire to be climate-neutral in Lower Saxony in the future,” said Weil. In the short term, this means that companies will also be helped during the energy crisis and that a rescue package will be put in place. Weil made it clear that the specific design still had to be discussed. In addition, more companies are to settle in Lower Saxony under the red-green banner. A state area settlement is intended to prepare larger settlements.
49-euro ticket should come
The SPD and the Greens have also agreed to co-finance the state share of the planned 49-euro ticket. In addition, they want to introduce a 29-euro ticket for schoolchildren and trainees. Hamburg also referred to a mobility guarantee for rural areas – but the SPD and the Greens left open what this could look like in concrete terms.
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Boost for social housing?
In addition, there was also the issue of building: the SPD and the Greens have agreed on a state housing association. It is intended to give new impetus to social housing construction, which has almost come to a standstill in recent years. Hamburg also made it clear that the new state government also wants to use climate-friendly construction for its own buildings in the future. They should be subjected to a climate check. In addition, the solar roof obligation and heat transition are to come.
SPD and Greens are closed
“We didn’t set our sights on simple issues, we focused on real heavyweights,” Weil made clear after the first day of coalition negotiations. Apparently, there was only a limited crisis – red-green relies on closeness, unity and compromises. “Our goal is to provide quick and viable answers for the coming winter and the coming months,” Hamburg made clear in the morning.
Coalition agreement to be signed on November 7th
The schedule is tight: the future coalition partners want to present the results of their negotiations on Thursday next week. “We’re in good spirits that we’ll be able to let out the famous white smoke at the end,” Weil said. On the first weekend in November, the party conferences are then to vote on the negotiated coalition agreement. If approved, it should be signed on November 7th. When the new state parliament meets for its constituent session on November 8th, Prime Minister Stephan Weil is to be confirmed in office.
Who gets which ministry?
Except for the office of head of government, the distribution of posts is currently unclear. According to reports, the Greens want Julia Willie Hamburg to become Economics Minister. Your co-lead candidate Christian Meyer could become environment minister. The current Environment Minister and former Economics Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) would then have to take over another department. After the election, he said that he would have liked to have remained Economics Minister in the previous red-black cabinet. SPD Interior Minister Boris Pistorius and SPD Health Minister Daniela Behrens could keep their previous posts. Although Behrens does not have a seat in the state parliament, she could still become a minister again.
Money should sit looser with red-green
In general, the SPD and the Greens want to invest more than the previous red-black government – even if that means new debts. Among other things, more money is to flow into housing construction, into universities, into the faster expansion of renewable energies and the salaries of primary, secondary and secondary school teachers are to rise. Both sides should quickly agree on these points. On the other hand, it could be controversial in terms of transport policy, climate goals, dealing with wolves, gas production in the North Sea and police issues such as the use of body cameras.
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