“I leave speculation to Merz”
FDP parliamentary group leader rules out traffic light breakage
February 10, 2024, 3:52 a.m
Especially when it comes to economic policy, the Liberals are often alone against the SPD and the Greens. FDP parliamentary group leader Dürr still believes that an early end to the traffic light coalition is impossible. He defends the no to the EU supply chain law as a “consequential” action.
Despite the disputes in the traffic light coalition over various issues, FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr is ruling out new elections. Dürr answered a corresponding question from the Funke media group in the affirmative and said: “I leave the speculation about this to Friedrich Merz and Markus Söder, who, oddly enough, are more concerned with coalition options than with substantive policy.” Dürr criticized the Growth Opportunities Act, which is important for the economy and brings tax cuts to companies, and is still being blocked by the Union. “We will work in the coming months to make our location more attractive and to move our economy forward.”
There is currently a dispute in the traffic light coalition over, among other things, the EU supply chain law. A vote on an agreement previously negotiated by negotiators was spontaneously postponed on Friday. This is also because in Germany, FDP-led ministries in the federal government announced shortly before the vote that they did not want to agree to the project.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock from the Greens criticized that Germany’s reliability in the EU was at stake. “If we break our word once given in Brussels, we will lose trust.” The EU Supply Chain Act aims to hold large companies accountable if they profit from child or forced labor outside the EU. A debate about tax relief for the economy also developed into a fundamental dispute. Essentially, it’s about how German companies can become more internationally competitive.
“Fear of bureaucracy”
Dürr defended the FDP’s no to the European supply chain law. “We are doing the central concern – namely compliance with human rights – a disservice if we adopt the supply chain directive in its current form,” he told the Funke newspapers. There is a risk that companies will withdraw for fear of bureaucracy and legal risks. “We already communicated to the EU in 2022 that we would not agree under such conditions. In this respect, our position is only logical.” The postponement of the decision shows that there is not a sufficient majority in the European Council for the proposal. “Other countries also have concerns,” said Dürr.
Regarding the argument that the FDP’s actions raise doubts about Germany’s reliability, Dürr said: “No, the opposite is true. We can also see this in the fact that more and more member states are now skeptical about this directive.” He is convinced that the European neighbors can understand the approach.