If all three parties approve the coalition government agreement at extraordinary conferences, the Bundestag could elect Social Democrat leader Olaf Scholz as chancellor on December 6.
Photo: Annegret Regards / REUTERS / SCANPIX
19:31, November 25, 2021
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Valdis Bērziņš, “Latvijas Avīze”, JSC “Latvijas Mediji”
Yesterday in Berlin, representatives of the Social Democrats, the Greens and the Free Democrats presented a three-party federal coalition government agreement.
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The Social Democrats (SPD) will have six ministerial posts in the new government, the Greens will have five ministerial posts and the Free Democrats (FDP) four.
The new ministry, which will combine economic and climate issues, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministries of Agriculture and Family Affairs, are expected to come under the control of the Greens. The FDP is expected to head the Ministry of Finance as well as the Ministries of Transport, Education and Justice. Sources close to the coalition parties report that the SPD will be controlled by the Ministries of Interior, Defense, Health, Employment, Economy and Cooperation, and the newly established Ministry of Construction.
According to a coalition agreement between DPA, AFP and Reuters, the next German government intends to phase out coal by 2030, eight years ahead of schedule. The new government hopes to phase out the use of internal combustion engines by now.
At the same time, the coalition agreement provides for 80% of Germany’s electricity consumption to be covered by so-called renewable energy by 2030. So far, it has been planned to provide only 65% of consumption with renewable energy sources by now.
The new coalition is committed to restoring the constitutional debt ceiling from 2023, which was lifted to cope with the economic consequences of the covid pandemic. Nevertheless, the new coalition promises to dramatically increase investment in infrastructure and climate change mitigation. The new coalition has agreed to legalize marijuana.
The parties have also agreed to allow dual citizenship and facilitate the acquisition of German citizenship. At the same time, the coalition agreement provides for the Greens to reserve the right to nominate a European Commissioner in the event that Germany does not serve as President of the European Commission. The parties have agreed to legalize the use of armed drones in order to increase the protection of soldiers sent abroad.
Negotiations between the three-party official coalition began on October 21, less than a month after the Bundestag elections on September 26. Negotiations between the parties have been relatively calm and rapid compared to previous coalition talks four years ago. The coalition of the center-left Social Democrats, the Greens and the business-friendly Free Democrats is called a traffic light coalition because of the colors of these parties.
Such a three-party coalition has never been in power in Germany at the federal level, and if it is formed, the conservatives who dominated German politics after World War II will have to go into opposition for the first time in 16 years.
In the coming weeks, the coalition agreement will have to be approved at party conferences. The leadership of the Green Party plans to consult with all party members, an extraordinary conference of the Social Democrats is scheduled for December 4, and the Free Democrats are planning a party meeting on December 5.
If all three parties approve the coalition government agreement, the Bundestag could elect Social Democrat leader Olaf Scholz as chancellor on December 6, as originally scheduled for the coalition talks.
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