Since the FDP was able to collect points with e-fuels and heating exchanges, the mood in the party has brightened. Nevertheless, many delegates showed their displeasure at the party conference in Berlin. But Lindner and Co simply put themselves at the forefront of the movement. New traffic light dispute is foreseeable.
The FDP seems to be slowly making peace with the traffic light. The mood at the party conference in Berlin was good, one could also say: surprisingly good. First of all, there are very simple reasons for this. The survey values have risen again somewhat, the party is now mostly at seven percent, in one survey even at nine. Secretary-General Bijan Djir-Sarai said that on Sunday afternoon, triggering some cheering.
A certain relief can be felt in the “Station” event hall, which is located in Berlin-Kreuzberg not far from the government district. Because the party was in a difficult position for months. Five state elections were lost and in the national trend the party staggered towards the five percent hurdle – after having won 11.5 percent in the federal election. But now it seems as if party leader Christian Lindner was able to turn things around.
The party seems to have found a way to assert itself in traffic lights – thanks to the new magic word “technology openness”. Transport Minister Volker Wissing pushed through an exception to the ban on cars with combustion engines in Brussels. Lindner thus prettied up the bill for the major heating reform. With its wide-legged appearance, the tough negotiations, the FDP penetrates back to its sympathizers – almost too many of whom had already rediscovered their heart for the Union. The deputy party leader Wolfgang Kubicki said in his speech that since the coalition committee he has felt pride in the party again at FDP events. Party Vice Johannes Vogel told ntv.de that the party was stable in a challenging situation.
The fact that the party was once again able to deal with itself also contributed to the good atmosphere. There was a lot of talk this weekend about “pure FDP”. “It was really good that the party came together again,” said the leader of the Young Liberals, Franziska Brandmann, ntv.de. The Bavarian state chairman and top candidate for the state elections in autumn, Martin Hagen, said: “It was a good party conference. We made good decisions that sharpen the profile of the party. For example in tax policy and on the heating issue.”
“Homework for the parliamentary group”
In fact, the heating issue was perhaps the biggest and most sensitive issue at this party congress. The party leadership around Lindner had already wrested some changes from the Greens and enabled hybrid heating, for example. But at the latest since a group of 80 delegates submitted an emergency motion on the subject, it was clear that this was not enough for the grassroots. The party congress accepted the motion with some amendments, essentially calling for prohibitions to be removed from the new law.
“This is homework for the parliamentary group,” Hagen told ntv.de. “The federal party congress is the party’s highest decision-making body and it has now formulated a clear expectation. The draft law has already been significantly toned down in the cabinet, but it still needs to be clearly corrected.” A result in which the liberals do not find themselves reflected cannot be traffic light politics.
Lindner apparently put himself at the forefront of this movement by announcing in his speech on Friday that the draft of the Building Energy Act will now “be made into what we need in the Bundestag, namely a technology-open, economically sensible and socially accepted way to also make our buildings and heating systems climate-friendly”.
However, the FDP boss avoided specifying that. Probably with good reason, because the question is a sensitive one. For the Greens, the date January 1, 2024, including the ban on installing new gas heaters, should be a red line that they would not delete from the draft. In the ntv interview, Lindner did not adopt the application’s request to remove bans, and did not mention it at all. If it stays that way, he will clearly deactivate the task of the party congress. The decision was “very clear,” said Lindner. “We want climate protection. But we need real openness to technology, especially when it comes to heating. We have to ensure profitability and we also have to ensure social acceptance. That’s why there is still a need for some changes to this law.” But still: If the dispute starts all over again in the Bundestag, the next coalition crash is firmly booked.
After all: In its leading motion, the FDP decided that emissions trading for transport, heat and trade should come as early as January 1, 2024 instead of 2027 as planned at EU level. “That would be a massive acceleration of a more effective climate protection policy that uses the forces of the market economy uses more,” said deputy party leader Vogel ntv.de. And possibly something the Greens would like too.
Whereby: quarrels, noise, arguments – the FDP leadership now likes that pretty much. Because it shows her base that she “sells her skin dearly,” as political professor Stefan Marschall told ntv.de. Or as Kubicki put it: “We will only be successful if we demonstrate a constructive willingness to engage in conflict.” So the traffic light in drama mode would be to the liking of liberals.
The topic of energy also excited the delegates, especially nuclear energy. They decided that the three nuclear power plants that had just been shut down should be kept in reserve. The exit that has just taken place was described as a mistake. Nuclear research, on the other hand, is to be strengthened. This decision would also have disruptive potential for the traffic light. However, he was not a surprise. In his speech, Lindner also pointed out that not every demand can be enforced in a coalition. This should also apply to the remarkable decision to massively downsize public service broadcasting.
Dampener for Kubicki
However, not everyone left happy. The Cologne FDP politician Fardad Hooghoughi was disappointed that his application to found a party organization for people with a migration background failed. “We had a lot of support,” he told ntv.de. 70 percent of the delegates voted in favor – but there were not enough delegates in the hall at the time of the vote. People who have come to Germany from other countries often know the value of freedom, said Hooghoughi. In addition, they are often entrepreneurs, for example in the catering trade. “These are actually our people,” said aspiring lawyer.
There were one or two setbacks in the board elections: General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai got 76 percent, a weaker result than a year ago, when he got 89 percent. Even more striking was the loss of confidence in Wolfgang Kubicki. The Vice President of the Bundestag stood for election again after 2021 as Deputy Federal Chairman and now got 72 percent – after 88 percent two years ago. With 86 percent, Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger was elected Deputy Party Leader for the first time. Lindner, on the other hand, got 88 percent when he was re-elected after 93 percent two years ago – a good result given the difficult phase for the party.
Now the question is how long the momentum of the FDP will be maintained. For example, it could occur to the Greens to also switch to obstinate in order to push through projects on their part. The next mood test will be the state elections in Bremen on May 14th. Another defeat would not be a catastrophe, because the Hanseatic city has never been an easy place for the FDP. But if it was successful, the whole party, from North to South and West to East, would sigh with relief. At the latest then the good mood would no longer be a surprise.