After three days of deliberations, the traffic light coalition presented a comprehensive package of measures to implement climate protection goals and to accelerate planning in Germany on Tuesday evening. On the one hand, planning for both the road and rail network should be massively accelerated, said the party leaders of the SPD, Greens and FDP. On the other hand, according to Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), nature conservation is being fundamentally reformed.
According to SPD chairman Lars Klingbeil, the parliamentary groups also agreed on a social balance when switching from gas and oil heating to more climate-friendly heating. According to Lindner, the traffic light decisions have no major impact on the budget. The costs for converting the heating would be taken from the climate and transformation fund. Green leader Ricarda Lang spoke of a massive expansion of the railways and an accompanying solar program for motorways. The truck toll will be increased from 2024, and 80 percent of this will flow into the expansion of the railways.
More speed at e-charging stations
An important element of the agreement is the change in the climate protection law. “We are overcoming the pure sector orientation,” said FDP leader Lindner, above all with a view to the faltering reduction in CO2 emissions in the transport sector. “We make sure that the sectors can help each other.” One no longer looks at the goals annually and no longer looks back, but forwards to around the year 2030. Green Party leader Lang emphasized, however, that the sector goals were retained as a principle of the law. In the future, it should also be possible for monetary payments to be made for construction measures instead of providing replacement areas, explained Lindner.
The traffic light coalition also wants to speed up the installation of e-charging stations. According to the paper by the coalition committee, operators of gas stations should be legally obliged to “build at least one fast charging point per gas station within five years”. However, there will be a special regulation for the operators of small gas stations.
Traffic light admits differences – and out
Lang and Klingbeil have acknowledged significant differences in the traffic light coalition in recent weeks. The Greens leader found that the three parties were so different that they ultimately negotiated compromises for society as a whole. Like Klingbeil, she criticized the rough tone of all three parties. “I never had any concerns regarding the trustworthiness of the partners,” Lindner stated at the end of the joint press conference.
Some of the differences stemmed from the dispute as to whether the planning acceleration should only apply to rail projects or also to road projects. Lindner spoke of 144 motorway projects for which there should now also be a planning acceleration. Lang referred to the necessary combination with solar systems along the motorway.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz had previously reported “very, very, very good results”. “I’m very, very confident that we can produce a large piece of work,” said the SPD politician. It is now important that, as the fourth largest economy in the world, you do everything right. It is regarding accelerating the pace of decisions. “That’s why the effort makes sense. It will have been worth it,” he affirmed. (rue)
