The Green parliamentary group in Leipzig is getting ready for the election year

The Green parliamentary group is getting ready for the election year at a retreat in Leipzig. And brings a lot of ballast from Berlin that could overshadow the conference with Habeck, Baerbock and Paus.

Britta Haßelmann is one of the Green diplomats. The co-leader of the Bundestag faction can dish it out well in her speeches in parliament – if you ask her about the climate within the traffic light coalition, she becomes tame. When asked whether working with the SPD and FDP is still fun, she answered in an interview with the ARD capital studio: “I think in the end it’s the result that counts.”

According to her, the current federal government has already introduced many changes that are worth seeing. But successes can hardly drown out the loud crunching and cracking within the traffic lights. And so the many conflict issues are likely to accompany the Green faction to Leipzig.

After all, the list is long. For example, there is the payment card for asylum seekers, with which refugees are supposed to receive part of their social benefits as credit and no longer as a cash payment. Some federal states have already implemented this, but the FDP in particular is pushing for a federal law that should provide more legal certainty. Some Green Party representatives believe this is unnecessary.

For the political scientist Uwe Jun from the University of Trier, the payment card is one of the central points of conflict: “All the issues that relate to migration are not that easy for the Greens. Because they have different positions here, especially compared to the FDP.” According to Jun, restrictions in this area are difficult to accept, especially for the party base.

Greens benefit from regular voters

It is the Greens who benefit from their regular voters like no other traffic light party. If there were a federal election on Sunday, the Greens would lose fewer votes than the SPD and FDP.

Nevertheless, regular voters also want to be kept happy, even if they forgive their party for a few things. They are relying on the Greens’ election promises, such as switching to a climate-friendly energy supply. And on modernizing Germany as a business location without restricting the welfare state too much. Another topic that is currently causing differences with social democrats and liberals.

For political scientist Jun, there is also the problem that the Greens are a big city party: “If you look at the Greens’ election results, they are strong wherever there is a university and where the city seems a little bigger.” In rural regions, however, the Greens are having a hard time. And it is precisely there that an image has developed for Jun that sees the Greens as a target.

Party as a target

Farmers have been protesting against the party for weeks because they don’t like the traffic light coalition’s agricultural policy. After all, Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir is a Green. Some of the actions turn violent.

Co-parliamentary group leader Katharina Dröge condemns this form of protest, in an interview with Bavarian Radio but careful self-criticism. She speaks of budget cuts that “were too much” for farmers.

For this reason, the three coalition partners also agreed to reverse some of the cuts. But that hasn’t stopped the farmers’ anger so far. The Green parliamentary group is preparing to ensure that its closed meeting will not remain free of disruptive actions.

Price guarantee for Germany ticket

With a view to the state elections this year, the Greens in Leipzig also want to announce a few resolutions: The group is committed to ensuring that the Germany ticket continues to cost 49 euros. In a decision paper that… ARD capital studio There is talk of a “permanent price guarantee”. The Green group makes it clear that low-income earners in particular would benefit from this.

The Greens in the Bundestag also want to raise the minimum wage – it should be 60 percent of the median income in Germany. For this year that would mean a good 14 euros. At the moment the minimum wage is 12.41 euros.

There is already a rejection from the FDP-led Federal Ministry of Finance: it is said that a purely ideological determination of the minimum wage would endanger jobs and the business location. The Greens want to finance their projects, among other things, through reallocations in the federal budget: They propose eliminating environmentally harmful subsidies – such as the company car privilege. Party leader Haßelmann says she is going to Leipzig in a positive mood. “This is going to be good!” Despite strong headwinds.