Saturday, October 16, 2021
“Extremely anemic”
Critic: Traffic light plans lack funding
The traffic light parties already see a coalition dry. However, there is sharp criticism of the question of financing the plans of the SPD, Greens and FDP. Habeck, on the other hand, argues that this is further than the joint paper reproduces.
After the conclusion of their explorations, the SPD, the Greens and the FDP spread confidence that the targeted formation of a government will succeed. Greens boss Robert Habeck said in the evening on ZDF that failure “would really be a surprise”. He “no longer assumes”. But there are still a few conflicts. SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz confirmed on ARD the goal of forming a new government before Christmas. However, there is particular criticism of the question of how the plans for a possible traffic light government are to be financed.
“The result of these explorations contains more questions than answers,” said CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak of the “Rheinische Post”. “A lot of suggestions were simply thrown together – without specifically saying what that means for the people. In particular, the question of financial feasibility remains open.” Verdi boss Frank Werneke complained in the same newspaper that when it came to the necessary finances, the exploratory paper was “unfortunately very bloodless”. No reliable plans are shown for the necessary future investments in climate protection.
The SPD, Greens and FDP are heading for coalition negotiations for a traffic light government almost three weeks after the general election. “We are convinced that we can conclude an ambitious and sustainable coalition agreement,” declared the three parties in a joint paper on the outcome of their exploratory talks. The SPD executive committee voted unanimously for negotiations on Friday. For the Greens, a small party congress should decide on Sunday, the FDP leadership then on Monday. “We will guarantee the necessary future investments within the framework of the constitutional debt brake,” says the paper. “We will not introduce any new property taxes.” Income tax, corporate tax or VAT should not be increased.
Wissing: Big things without big debts
According to Habeck, the traffic light parties are further on the financing issue than the text suggests. “The finances are better supported in the talks than the paper shows,” he said on ZDF. “The sentences are Spartan, I admit. But we have given a lot of thought to how these sentences will then be backed up with concrete possibilities in the coalition negotiations.”
Scholz referred in the ARD to the expectation of high tax revenues thanks to economic growth. He also spoke of enabling private investments, for example in the expansion of wind and solar energy. FDP General Secretary Volker Wissing told the “Rheinische Post”: “If we approach it skilfully, we can use the available public funds in such a way that they mobilize additional private capital. Then great things arise without incurring large debts.” In the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”, however, he also made it clear that the future government would be forced to “review previous editions in order to gain additional room for maneuver”.
Jessica Rosenthal, federal chairwoman of the Jusos – the youth organization of the SPD, was also critical of the financial aspects of the paper. “What we can’t understand is how the investment is going to be paid for in the end and why the redistributive issues that are important to us aren’t there,” she told news channel Phoenix.
The parliamentary manager of the left-wing parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Jan Korte, accuses the SPD and the Greens of breaking election promises. “The champagne corks will pop at the FDP and business associations. As feared, there is nothing left of a number of central election promises made by the SPD and the Greens,” he said. A wealth tax will not be introduced, nor will citizens’ insurance or a strengthening of the statutory pension come.
Employer: 12 euros minimum wage, extremely dangerous
SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich said, of course, there is no one-to-one election program. “But I think people will find the ideas of social democracy in this paper with minimum wages, pension security, basic child benefits and 400,000 new apartments and at the same time recognize the green and liberal profile,” he emphasized.
Verdi boss Werneke also sees positive aspects. “It’s good: a minimum wage of twelve euros comes, the pension level remains stable – this in the event of a rejection of an increase in the retirement age, better conditions in care, an offensive in non-profit housing construction,” he told the “Rheinische Post”.
However, the Federal Association of German Employers’ Associations (BDA) rejects the fact that the SPD and the Greens were able to prevail on the minimum wage. “The fact that this new traffic light alliance wants to overturn the minimum wage commission is out of the question. This is a serious encroachment on collective bargaining autonomy,” said employer president Rainer Dulger of the Funke media group. For companies, a minimum wage of 12 euros would be “extremely dangerous,” he warned.
The start of formal coalition negotiations is an important step on the way to a new government. In previous exploratory talks, the SPD, Greens and FDP explored differences and similarities without obligation. Those who start coalition negotiations, on the other hand, do so with the clear intention of forming a government. However, failure cannot be ruled out either.