L’Germany is often presented abroad as the country of political compromise: many decisions are taken on the basis of negotiations rather than the establishment of a balance of power. But this time, the three parties that make up the coalition government needed three long days to reach an agreement. And to avoid a major political crisis.
According to Chancellor Olaf Scholz “It was worth it”.
Seven main points
The SPD of Olaf Scholz, the ecologists and the liberals of the FDP have managed to smooth things over in two main areas: climate protection and the transport sector. Their decisions relate to seven main points:
The German economy must move towards climate neutrality. The current legal texts provide quantified objectives for each sector of the economy (energy, construction, transport). However, these objectives are difficult to achieve, according to the Liberal Minister of Transport.
The government has therefore resolved to make the texts more flexible by pooling the CO2 emissions of all sectors to make an overall calculation and find solutions that go beyond the sectors taken individually.
- A law on energy efficiency
The government intends to accelerate the development of renewable energies and improve the efficiency of energy consumption. The new objectives must be achieved by 2030.
- More surfaces devoted to renewable energies
To be able to build solar or wind farms, for example, municipalities will have more freedom in the allocation of land. Land along roads, highways and railways will be favored to accommodate solar panels and wind turbines.
- Accelerated planning
This law is supposed to facilitate the adoption of new alignments for 144 motorways. The Greens and the FDP were very opposed on this text: the ecologists wanted above all to promote the construction of railways.
In addition, this text should accelerate the renovation of the many damaged bridges in the country.
The government estimates that Deutsche Bahn, which runs Germany’s railways, needs nearly 45 billion in investment by 2027. Part of this funding will come from increased highway tolls for heavy goods vehicles.
The liberals of the FDP defend synthetic fuels which also emit CO2. The government will encourage scientific research and production so that these fuels can be sold at petrol stations.
These fuels would make it possible to maintain the combustion engines that the European Union wants to ban by 2035, but which are particularly important to German car manufacturers.
The bill on the introduction of more ecological heating methods is softened. It suggests that, “as far as possible”, each heating source from 2024 will come from at least 65% renewable energy.
The reactions
These conclusions, fiercely negotiated, here is what the three governing parties say: the Social Democrats (SPD) are satisfied, they have managed to spare the liberals and the ecologists. According to the SPD, the new measures will allow Germany to maintain its economic power while initiating the energy transition.
The chairman of the liberal parliamentary group (FDP) welcomes the new infrastructure that will be built and)) hails “the most important package of modernization measures in recent decades”.
Satisfaction also displayed among the Greens, although measured. The president of the green party believes that certain points will have to be discussed once more. She insists on the fact that each new kilometer of motorway that will be built will have to be equipped with solar panels.
On the right, the head of the CSU group in the Bundestag is ironic regarding the low reach of the announcements and the very “small common denominator” found by the three parties in the coalition.
On the left, on the contrary, die Linke joins certain organizations for the defense of the environment which accuse the government – and mainly the Greens – of having capitulated to the FDP and sold off the regulations for the protection of the climate.
Deutsche Bahn chief Richard Lutz calls the planned rail investments “a real milestone for the rail network of the future”.
And finally, organizations social criticize the fact that the governing parties have not placed its priorities correctly: the three parties have not worked on the future of basic allowances for children.
