FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai: "Nuclear power must be maintained until 2024"

Created: 07/28/2022, 14:12

By: Fabian Hartmann

FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai: "The liberals are not ideological".

© John Macdougall/afp

FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai talks about the impending gas crisis, longer nuclear power plant lifetimes, the fight against inflation - and the question of whether his party is slowing down traffic lights.

Berlin – The Bundestag has said goodbye to the parliamentary summer break.

But there can be no question of peace and relaxation in political Berlin, on the contrary: the war is raging on in the Ukraine, inflation is back.

And Russia's ruler Vladimir Putin knows about the energy dependency of the EU.

There is a threat of a gas crisis in winter.

The traffic light coalition is challenged like no other alliance before it.

Right in the middle: the FDP and its Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai.

An interview.

Mr Djir-Sarai, the Russian company Gazprom has halved gas supplies through Nord Stream 1.

How dramatic is the situation?

We are in a very tense situation with Russia.

It is obvious: Russian President Vladimir Putin uses energy as a weapon.

He wants to destabilize Europe.

Putin relies heavily on uncertainty and the time factor.

His calculus: the longer this war lasts and the higher the energy prices, the more difficult it will be for the West to endure the sanctions and show unity.

We must not fall into this trap.

It is all the more important to become independent of Russia in terms of energy policy as quickly as possible - and to sweep up the mess left behind by the Union-led federal governments. 

What do you think is the biggest mistake in German energy policy in the past?

This is clearly the naivety with which Russia was viewed.

Then-Chancellor Angela Merkel was convinced that Russia would never use its energy supplies as a weapon against us.

Today, this catastrophic miscalculation falls upon us, and we pay a heavy price.

It is remarkable that MEPs from the CDU/CSU are now standing up and giving us advice on what proper politics should look like.

How long will Germany have to live with high energy prices?

We have relied on cheap gas from Russia for too long.

That has now suddenly changed.

In a country like Germany, nobody should have to worry about the electricity or gas being cut off.

We still have enough options in our hands to avoid an energy shortage.

However, the time window in which we can still act is rapidly closing.

Therefore, we should quickly agree to let the remaining three nuclear power plants run longer for a certain period of time.

It's now about being pragmatic.

What period are you thinking of?

I think it's realistic that we need to keep nuclear power into 2024 to be able to secure the power supply.

One thing is clear: we do not want to reverse the nuclear phase-out.

The exit has been decided politically and socially and it will stay that way.

At the moment it is simply a matter of bridging a certain period of crisis.

We cannot afford any ideology when it comes to the temporary extension of the service life, the situation is too serious.

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FDP General Secretary Djir-Sarai: The Liberals are sticking to the speed limit

Would the FDP then also be willing to distance themselves from their ideology – the resistance to the speed limit?

Liberals are not ideological.

I can't see any connection between the issue of a temporary extension of nuclear power and the speed limit. 

The oil for petrol and diesel also comes from Russia.

We have high oil prices but no oil shortages.

Our problem is the supply of gas.

To prepare for the cold season, it is necessary to fill the gas storage tanks as quickly as possible.

That's why we're not allowed to use gas to generate electricity now, but have to use the electricity from the nuclear power plants.

This is where nuclear power really helps to solve a problem.

The speed limit, on the other hand, is a symbolic debate.

Nor does it help to combat climate change.

The FDP is not available for a speed limit deal against an extension of the term.  

Would the FDP be willing to talk about extending the 9-euro ticket?

The Greens are already pushing.

The 9 euro ticket is a success.

But the way it is now designed, it would be too expensive for the federal government in the long run.

Rather, we have to ask ourselves the question: How do we make public transport more attractive?

It is already evident that the simpler the structures are, the better.

The tariff jungle deters many people.

The number of transport associations, the complexity of using public transport across federal states or sometimes even across city limits - these must be addressed.

I see the federal states in particular as having a duty here, as they are responsible for this issue.

To person

Bijan Djir-Sarai has been Secretary General of the FDP since April 2022.

The 46-year-old was born in Tehran.

At the age of eleven he left Iran and was brought to Germany by his parents.

Djir-Sarai studied business administration in Cologne.

He also made a career in the FDP.

He came to the Bundestag for the first time in 2009 and was the foreign policy spokesman for his parliamentary group for many years.

Bijan Djir-Sarai is married and has two children.

FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai: Praise for the Chancellor's crisis communication

The Chancellor recently interrupted his vacation and assured the Germans: "You'll never walk alone" - nobody will be left alone with their problems.

Can the state meet this expectation?

Of course, the state cannot compensate for every price increase.

I think the Chancellor's communication is correct.

He tells people frankly that politicians see the challenges, accept them and act to protect the population.

This is a confidence-building measure.

As a football fan, I've often heard "You'll never walk alone" - it also fits when a Federal Chancellor intones it like that in this difficult situation. 

At the same time, the Chancellor has announced new aid, there should be a housing benefit reform and more money for students.

Does that find the support of the FDP?

A reform of the housing benefit makes sense, because it can provide targeted help in the difficult situation.

Nevertheless, it is crucial that the debt brake is adhered to.

Solid state finances are the guarantee that inflation will not be further fueled and that we will have to deal with even higher prices.

Could you imagine a situation that would require moving away from the debt brake?

The debt brake is not an invention of the FDP.

It's in the constitution.

The debt brake must be adhered to so that the state itself does not become a driver of inflation and the problems do not get worse.

It is essential that the Minister of Finance insists on this.

Today's debt is tomorrow's tax hike.

Conflicts also threaten when it comes to citizen income.

SPD and Greens want higher rates than Hartz IV, the FDP is against it.

Why?

In the coalition, we agree on many points when it comes to citizen income.

The planned improvements in training and further education opportunities and the reduction of unnecessary bureaucracy are correct and have our broad support.

From the point of view of the FDP, citizen money is a question of justice.

Work must always be worth more than no work.

It is simply unfair for someone who works to have slightly more, and in some cases less, money than someone who doesn't work.

The wage gap requirement must be maintained.

It is therefore a core concern for us as the FDP to improve the additional income rules.

However, we do not support a flat-rate increase in benefits.

Incidentally, the standard rates will be adjusted regularly on January 1st anyway.

This increase includes inflation compensation.  

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The social organizations say that this is not enough.

They demand 200 euros on the standard rate.

Are they wrong?

I see no need to change anything in the calculation method.

The annual standard rate adjustment is based on the inflation rate.

In addition, the state covers the heating costs.

It would be wrong if higher benefits created incentives to remain unemployed.

There is already a shortage of workers in many sectors.

The following must also apply to citizen income: support and demand.

This also means that we have to stick to sanctions if, for example, agreed deadlines are not met.

It's simply a matter of respect and fairness to those who fund welfare through their tax payments.

The FDP wants to relieve taxpayers.

Above all, you have the progression in the tax rate and the commuter allowance in mind.

Isn't that unfair, since high incomes benefit disproportionately?

We want to expand the commuter allowance so that it applies from the first kilometer.

That relieves the broad center in our country.

Incidentally, the commuter flat rate applies regardless of the means of transport.

Cyclists benefit, as do drivers and those who use public transport to get to work.

And the cold progression is a constant annoyance.

They not only eat up wage increases, they tax you even more.

Basically a hidden tax increase.

For us as the FDP, tax increases are not an option because they slow down our economy and our prosperity even further.

So we want to get rid of cold progression.

What distinguishes us as the FDP from the SPD and the Greens is that we don't want to take people's money first and then redistribute it - we want 

In the traffic light, the sound has recently become rougher.

The spirit of optimism is over, isn't it?

These are extraordinary and challenging times.

There will continue to be intense debates.

For me, however, it is crucial that good solutions are found in the end.

And we do.

FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai: "We govern with two left-wing parties"

So far, the FDP has not been able to benefit from this in the polls.

What's wrong?

For the FDP, the way to the traffic light was the longest.

We govern with two left parties.

Of course, there is an expectation that the FDP will perform a corrective function in the government.

This is a particular challenge with two coalition partners who sometimes have fundamentally different ideas.

I would like to remind you that the FDP entered into the traffic light coalition out of state political responsibility.

At that time, the CDU and CSU took a break and were neither able to act nor to govern.

This coalition is certainly not easy for the FDP.

But the results are correct and I'm sure that at the end of the day we will be in a good position - especially since there are no coalitions on the ballot paper, but parties.

It often seems as if the FDP is the brakeman in the coalition.

Does this image harm you?

We're not in a camp with anyone.

We are an independent centrist political force, and I think we have to make that clear at every opportunity.

From the point of view of the people who want left-wing politics in Germany, we are the brakes.

We put the brakes on people who only rely on redistribution and don't ask themselves where the money they want to redistribute comes from.

We brake when it comes to disproportionately restricting people's freedom or patronizing them.