Wednesday November 24th 2021
270 billion on the test bench
Greens are targeting traffic route plans
The currently CSU-led Ministry of Transport could move to the Greens in a traffic light coalition. Because road traffic is primarily responsible for CO2 emissions, the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan is to be tied up again.
The traffic light parties SPD, Greens and FDP want to re-examine the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030, adopted in 2016, from an ecological point of view and with the participation of environmental associations. This is reported by the editorial network in Germany, citing negotiating groups. Projects that are superfluous or particularly harmful from an environmental point of view could then be canceled.
According to RND information, this agreement goes back to the Greens, who would then provide the Federal Minister of Transport. The last time they came under pressure was in Hesse, because the A49 is being completed there, which will lead through the Dannenröder Forest. The Hessian Green Transport Minister Tarek Al-Wazir had repeatedly stated that he could not prevent this because it was a federal project.
The Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030 was adopted by the cabinet in 2016 and sets the course for transport policy for the next 10 to 15 years in road construction, in the maintenance or new construction of railway lines and waterways. The projects are graded according to urgency. The plan comprises around 269 billion euros, of which around 98 billion euros are earmarked for expansion and new construction. Environmental and transport associations such as the rail alliance Allianz pro Schiene have been complaining for years that the central Federal planning instrument too heavy on roads is.
Hofreiter or Özdemir on lists of ministers
Recently, the Greens have repeatedly emphasized that they regard climate protection as a cross-cutting task for all departments. In doing so, they are focusing primarily on the transport sector, because CO2 emissions are not falling here, but have continued to rise for years.
According to a list that circulated in Berlin at the weekend and was available to ntv, the Green parliamentary group leader Anton Hofreiter could take over the transport ministry from the CSU. On another unconfirmed list from midday, the Green politician Cem Özdemir is named as the successor to Andreas Scheuer, as reported by the Verkehrsrundschau.