It’s bubbling in the cabinet: Scholz hopes for “a small leap forward”

On Sunday evening, the heads of the SPD, Greens and FDP are to meet in the coalition committee to clarify controversial issues.

Update from March 26, 11:15 a.m.: Before the top meeting of the traffic light coalition in the Chancellery, the criticism of Transport Minister Volker Wissing does not stop. Politicians accuse him of only doing show and dubious politics. The Green Bundestag politician Anton Hofreiter is now unequivocally calling on Wissing to act: “A lot more has to happen.”

Coalition Committee in the Chancellery: Scholz is optimistic

First report from March 26th: Berlin – How politicians are dealing with the climate crisis, important infrastructure projects, the financing of the Bundeswehr in times of the Ukraine war: Within the parties of the current federal government, there is a lot of argument about these topics in particular. The aim of the coalition committee on Sunday evening (March 26) will probably be to reach agreements and compromises on as many of these issues as possible. At least Chancellor Olaf Scholz was optimistic on Saturday.

He was “confident that we are now making a small leap forward,” said the SPD Chancellor to the German Press Agency in Potsdam, but probably expects a long session. In addition to the party and parliamentary group leaders of the three traffic light parties and the Federal Chancellor, several ministers will also take part in the meeting, a group of almost 20 political decision-makers.

Coalition Committee on Sunday in Berlin: Many controversial issues in the government

In addition to the political strategies for phasing out oil and gas heating, important topics should also be the plans for an accelerated expansion of important transport routes. On these issues, the positions of the SPD, Greens and FDP differ particularly widely. At the weekend, there were again mutual accusations of blocking on these topics.

In recent weeks, the tone in the coalition had become much rougher. Green Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck had even complained about a breach of trust because a draft law from his Ministry of Economic Affairs was pushed through to the media.

The budget planning for 2024 and the following years is also one of the topics in the coalition that is the subject of particularly heated debate. While the Greens are pushing for sufficient funding for the planned basic child security, SPD Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is campaigning for the Bundeswehr to have higher financial needs. (saka with AFP/dpa)

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