CDU pressure on Özdemir: "He would have to sit in detention for the summer holidays first"
Created: 07/07/2022 05:14
By: Bettina Menzel, Andreas Schmid
Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir is currently not getting good grades - at least not from Albert Stegemann, spokesman for agriculture and food policy for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag (archive photo, June 2022).
© IMAGO/Stefan Boness/Ipon
Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir has been in office for more than 200 days, but only one of 19 of his projects is in progress.
From the point of view of the Union, the minister leaves "important questions untouched".
Munich – The global political situation is tense.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture is also facing enormous challenges.
Russia's naval blockade in the Ukraine war could trigger a global hunger crisis.
The climate crisis confronts agricultural businesses in Germany with new requirements.
The opposition took a closer look at the work of Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) after more than 200 days in office.
Albert Stegemann, agricultural policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, gives Özdemir a devastating testimony.
The Green Minister had to “first sit in detention for the summer holidays”.
Only five percent of the projects started: Ministry of Agriculture under pressure from the Union
In mid-June, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group made a small inquiry to the federal government.
It contained 20 topics, including forest management, meat prices, labels of origin, a ban on advertising unhealthy food and climate protection measures.
In its reply, the Federal Government pointed out that it had given impetus, that political positions were still being discussed with the federal states and that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture was in close coordination with other ministries.
In order to cushion the consequences of the war in Ukraine for farms, a package of measures was launched in March.
Aid of 500 million euros will be made available to the agricultural sector via an EU regulation, it said.
In other areas, one is waiting for decisions from other bodies, such as the EU Commission.
But the balance of Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir looks meager from an objective point of view.
While the Ministry of Health has already implemented eight percent of its projects and started 25 percent, the Ministry of Agriculture is only one of 19 projects in progress - that corresponds to five percent.
Nothing has been implemented yet, according to data from the non-governmental organization FragDenstaat.
Union takes stock after half a year: "Özdemir ignores important questions"
On Thursday, the Bundestag will be discussing the amendment of the Hops Act.
From Stegemann's point of view, the bottom line is not enough.
“Shortly before the summer break, Federal Minister of Agriculture Özdemir manages to do it after all.
After many months, his first law will be passed in the Bundestag on Thursday: It deals with purely administrative implementation regulations for the payment and control of the EU hop subsidy," said Albert Stegemann
Merkur.de
from IPPEN.MEDIA.
From his point of view, however, there is a conflict within the coalition when it comes to the really big agricultural policy issues, or the minister ignores the important issues, the CDU politician continued.
"This concerns, among other things, the unclear animal welfare labeling and the lack of financing for the necessary conversion of agricultural animal husbandry.
But that also applies to questions about the Ukraine crisis and global food security," said the chairman of the Federal Committee for Environment and Agriculture of the CDU Germany.
In addition, it remains completely open how innovations in agriculture, such as new breeding methods, come to the farms, said the 46-year-old politician on
Merkur.de
.
Stegemann himself continues to run an agricultural business as part of his secondary activities as a member of parliament and should therefore also have a personal interest in the decisions of the Federal Minister of Agriculture.
also read
Kremlin expert explains Merkel's main mistake towards Putin - and warns against Ukraine concession
NATO counters Putin's nuclear threat: Agreed in Elmau, nervous in the Kremlin
Agriculture and food policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Albert Stegeman (middle), does not currently give Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir good marks (archive photo).
© IMAGO / Werner Scholz
Union spokesman accuses Özdemir of a lack of leadership: "... would have to sit in detention for the summer holidays first"
Stegemann also accused Özdemir of not taking on a leadership role in Europe, referring in particular to the suspension of set-aside agricultural land and the crop rotation rule.
From Stegemann's point of view, these regulations within the framework of EU agricultural policy would result in Europe producing more grain.
Here, "the minister is simply waiting and not taking on a leadership role in Europe," said the CDU MP.
Özdemir declared in May that he would work in Brussels to postpone the new crop rotation rule.
This is intended to increase wheat yields in order to counteract the effects of the Ukraine war on the global supply situation without further fueling the climate crisis and species extinction, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Not sufficient from Stegemann's point of view.
"If Minister Özdemir were to receive a report at the end of the school year, he should not be transferred, but would have to spend the summer holidays in detention," was his verdict on Özdemir's agricultural policy to date.
CDU/CSU questions core points of EU agricultural reform
In May, the CDU/CSU federal parliamentary group questioned key points of the EU agricultural reform, for example the planned obligation to set aside four percent of agricultural land should be completely abolished.
However, experts had considered the set-aside to be justifiable.
The complete renunciation would not bring the desired economic success, said the expert on EU agricultural policy Dr.
Norbert Röder, because the areas are less productive areas.
The professor of agricultural economics at the University of Rostock, Sebastian Lakner, also considered set-aside to be justifiable.