Traffic light dispute? FDP rejects plans from the SPD and the Greens - Neubauer with radical demand

The traffic light coalitionists have different ideas about tax policy.

Something could change with the pension.

Climate activists admonish.

News ticker.

• SPD *, Greens * and FDP * can imagine a joint coalition.

  FDP politician Kubicki has now rejected plans by the SPD and the Greens

  (see first report).

• Climate activists are making demands

  (see update from October 20, 1 p.m.).

• Lindner stands up for Olaf Scholz

  (see update from October 20, 4:19 p.m.).

• This news ticker for the talks about a traffic light coalition * has ended.

  We will keep you up to date on the coalition negotiations in our new ticker.

Update from October 20, 4:19 p.m.:

Shortly before the start of the coalition negotiations on a traffic light government

, FDP boss Christian Lindner campaigned for a chancellorship for Social Democrat Olaf Scholz *.

"I believe that nobody in Germany has to worry if the highest government office is held by Mr. Scholz," said Lindner on Wednesday the broadcaster Welt TV.

The FDP will see itself as a liberal corrective in a “traffic light”: Scholz will “not be left completely alone in the Chancellery”, but the FDP will ensure “that Germany continues to be governed from the center, that there is no shift to the left” said Lindner.

+

Christian Lindner, FDP leader (archive photo)

© Christophe Gateau / dpa

Traffic light negotiations continue: Young talent organizations want improvements

Update from October 20, 3:20 p.m.:

On Thursday the SPD, Greens and FDP start negotiations on the first traffic light coalition at the federal level. Before the kick-off, the young organizations of the three parties demanded improvements to the exploratory paper with which the party leaders had formulated a basis for coalition negotiations last week. The head of the Young Socialists, Jessica Rosenthal, was “frustrated” that relief for lower and middle income groups and burdens for “rich upper percentages” with the FDP could not be implemented in the explorations. In the socio-political area, however, they were satisfied with many things.

The Green Youth is still dissatisfied with the status of the traffic light talks on climate protection. "In the current state of negotiations at the traffic light, climate protection is neglected," wrote the youth organization on Wednesday morning on Twitter. The Green Youth calls on the SPD, Greens and FDP in their tweet to limit the emissions of climate-damaging carbon dioxide (CO2) in such a way that global warming of more than 1.5 degrees is prevented. In addition, the junior organization is calling for the use of natural gas to be phased out by 2035 at the latest and a "consistent and socially acceptable" phase-out of coal by 2030 at the latest.

The young liberals are also hoping for more in the coalition negotiations.

July boss Jens Teutrine on Wednesday praised the exploratory paper, the style and content of which breathed the spirit for a political awakening.

“Our young liberal thirst for reform is not yet satisfied.

Now the political prose and poetry, some of which can be found in the exploratory paper, has to be formulated and other points have to be negotiated, "said Teutrine of the German press agency.

There traffic light dispute?

FDP rejects plans from the SPD and the Greens - Neubauer with radical demand

Update from October 20, 1 p.m.:

Shortly before the start of the coalition negotiations between the SPD, Greens and FDP

, the climate protection movement Fridays for Future presented its demands for the first 100 days to the new federal government. “We are not talking about the greening of government work, we are talking about comprehensive system changes that are pending. A 'business as usual' in eco-liberal is doomed to failure, ”said activist Luisa Neubauer at a press conference. 

To limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, the young environmentalists demand, among other things, the adoption of a 1.5-degree-compliant CO2 budget and a decision to phase out natural gas by 2035 at the latest fossil combustion engines from 2025 as well as an immediate new construction and expansion stop for motorways and federal highways. At least 14 billion euros are to be set annually for international climate finance.

Meanwhile, the Green Youth expressed itself critical of the previous proposals of the traffic light negotiating partners on climate protection.

“In the current state of negotiations at the traffic light, climate protection is neglected,” wrote the young organization of Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen on Wednesday morning on Twitter.

The organization joins the demands of the climate activists from Fridays before Future, it continues.

Traffic light coalition negotiations are pending: Is a major pension reform coming?

Update from October 20, 11:40 a.m.:

The deputy FDP chairman Johannes Vogel expects a major pension reform from the possible traffic light government. Since 1957 there has been no system change in the statutory pension, said Vogel on Wednesday in the program "Frühstart" on RTL and ntv. “That could be a really great achievement by such a coalition.” At the insistence of the Liberals, the SPD, Greens and FDP had agreed that pension insurance may invest money in the capital market.

Details would have to be discussed in the coalition negotiations, said Vogel.

"But then the door to a grandchildren-fit pension has been opened." The FDP vice-president was optimistic that the SPD and the Greens were ready to further expand the funded pension.

“What is in the exploratory paper is a contribution in a first step, in the first year.” This emphasizes “that we want to take this seriously”.

In their exploratory paper, the traffic light parties agreed, among other things, that they wanted to "strengthen the statutory pension and secure the minimum pension level of 48 percent".

There will be no cuts in pensions and no increase in the statutory retirement age.

Video: These are the sticking points of the traffic light coalition negotiations

Traffic light coalition negotiations begin on Thursday afternoon

Update from October 20, 11:05 a.m.:

The coalition negotiations between the SPD, Greens and FDP to form a joint government begin on Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m.

Shortly before, the SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil, the Greens federal manager Michael Kellner and FDP General Secretary Volker Wissing want to speak again in front of the press, as the parties announced on Wednesday.

Accordingly, the respective main negotiating groups and the chairmen of the numerous thematically divided working groups * meet.

So far, it is planned to negotiate in 22 working groups on the formation of a traffic light coalition.

Green Prime Minister Kretschmann is campaigning for the reduction of bureaucracy

Update from October 20, 10.30 a.m.:

According to his own statements, Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann has campaigned for the dismantling of bureaucracy in the exploratory talks for a possible traffic light coalition in the federal government. The reduction of bureaucracy was a very big topic in the exploratory negotiations, said the Green politician of the

. He brought that in powerfully.

There is enormous competition globally, said Kretschmann.

"And if we don't manage to get faster and reduce the bureaucracy, Germany as a business location will fall behind." That is why he is now so unyielding on the subject, he told the newspaper.

Kretschmann named wind power as an example.

Here in the country one wants to achieve at least a halving of the time from the idea to implementation.

Traffic light dispute?

FDP rejects plans by the SPD and the Greens: "That won't happen"

First report from October 20:

Berlin - SPD, Greens and FDP want to go into in-depth discussions regarding a traffic light coalition.

The trio strives for a common alliance, but knows about possible disagreements among themselves.

One subject where disagreement is programmed is financial policy.

The FDP remains tough.

Traffic light talks: Kubicki refuses to bypass the debt brake

FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki has now rejected plans by the SPD and the Greens to finance state investments by public companies.

“There will be no circumvention of the debt brake in any form whatsoever.

That's how it is recorded in the exploratory paper, ”he told the

(Wednesday edition).

In the end there will be “sufficient funding proposals for our projects”, Kubicki was convinced.

"We need a solid budget policy and more creativity in the discussion, which we then lead internally." Several politicians from the SPD and the Greens had brought up the possibility of loan financing by public companies such as the railway or investment companies.

Traffic light talks: Baerbock calls for "credit financing to a limited extent"

In an interview with the newspapers of the Funke media group, Greens boss Annalena Baerbock * spoke out in favor of "limited credit financing" as part of the debt brake. "In addition, there are public companies such as Deutsche Bahn AG or the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, which are already financing part of their investments by taking out loans," she said.

Baerbock emphasized that there was a massive need for investment. "If you take seriously that we have to keep the country in good shape and become climate-neutral, public investments and investment grants of an additional 50 billion euros per year are necessary in the next few years," she said. Savings could be made on environmentally and climate-damaging subsidies, for example. These should be gradually dismantled, demanded Baerbock. Co-boss Robert Habeck also drew this opportunity on Tuesday evening in the ZDF talk "Markus Lanz".

The finances remain one of the sticking points in the upcoming coalition negotiations.

According to the exploratory paper of the parties, necessary future investments are to be made possible “within the framework of the constitutional debt brake”.

Taxes such as income tax, business tax and VAT should not be increased.