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Traffic in Munich
Photo: Ralph Peters / imago/Ralph Peters
A dispute is raging in the traffic light coalition because of the failure to achieve climate protection goals in the transport sector.
There should have been an emergency program for months to close a huge gap in CO₂ emissions.
But the proposals by Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) are not enough so far.
His opponent, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens), therefore wants to make fuel-guzzling cars more expensive so that more electric cars are bought.
Now the vice chancellor is getting support from the opposition in his dispute with his liberal cabinet colleague.
The deputy federal chairman of the CDU, Andreas Jung, is in favor of consistently aligning the vehicle tax and company car tax with the amount of CO₂ emitted.
"Those who save emissions save taxes, those who emit more pay more," said the Baden-Württemberg parliamentarian.
Habeck also takes this position.
The Liberals Wissing and Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner are against it, partly because their party has spoken out against tax increases.
Since last year, Wissing has been obliged to draw up a program on how the climate goals in the transport sector can be achieved.
Jung increases the pressure on the traffic light coalition.
"If the government doesn't want to forfeit all climate policy credibility, this tragedy must come to an end now," he says, referring to the dispute between Ministers Habeck and Wissing.
The CDU man calls for a “climate booster” for traffic.
What is needed is a future strategy for sustainable mobility geared towards the goal of climate neutrality: consistent alignment of taxation with climate protection, accelerated expansion of electric charging stations, promotion of climate-neutral fuels and a strong rail package.
To this end, CO₂-free fuel and charging current should be made tax-free.
The CO₂ gap in transport is projected to be between 120 and 170 million tons of carbon dioxide by 2030.
The failure to meet the target in the area of transport was already determined by the Federal Environment Agency in March last year.
The Climate Protection Act requires that the ministry concerned immediately submit measures that must be decided in the federal cabinet "as soon as possible".
Does the traffic light want to water down the climate protection law?
According to a commission of experts, the measures proposed by Transport Minister Wissing would not remotely achieve the goals.
Wissing's climate program is "already without pretense".
Since then, Habeck and Wissing have been arguing about which projects are suitable.
The FDP has raised the issue of relaxing the climate protection law.
CDU climate expert Jung warns Habeck against participating in this plan.
The climate targets set for each area create the necessary binding force and ensure that the Climate Protection Act is complied with.
»In the opposition, the Greens wanted to tighten the climate protection law.
It couldn't be hard enough."
Now that the Greens are in the traffic light government, they question the commitment.
“With Robert Habeck, a Green Minister of all people is responsible for this policy of climate gaps, while the self-proclaimed climate chancellor goes into hiding and the FDP blocks all progress,” says Jung.
Habeck and Wissing want to have their disagreements resolved by spring.
So they arranged it at the end of last year.
