Status: 08.12.2023, 20:13 PM
By: Felix Durach
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Friedrich Merz is harshly critical of the traffic light government and Robert Habeck. In a letter, however, the CDU leader is said to have struck a different tone.
Munich – During a debate in the Bundestag on November 28, CDU leader Friedrich Merz lashed out at the traffic light government. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Finance Minister Christian Linder (FDP) and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) – all felt the wrath of the CDU leader. Also Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens). Without further ado, Merz denied the Vice Chancellor's suitability for his office. "In the <>s, we had economics ministers sitting on the government bench who really understood something about economics," said the CDU leader in the direction of the Green politician.
Friedrich Merz (r), Federal Chairman of the CDU and Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, speaks to Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD, M), Robert Habeck (Alliance 90/The Greens, 2nd from left), Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, and Christian Lindner (FDP). © Michael Kappeler/dpa
"Dear Robert Habeck" – Merz writes a letter of entreaty to the Minister of Economic Affairs
Shortly before that, however, Merz is also said to have addressed the Minister of Economic Affairs in a letter and struck a surprisingly gentle tone. The document in question is available to Der Spiegel and apparently begins with the words "Dear Federal Minister, dear Robert Habeck". In the letter, Merz, as a directly elected member of parliament for the Hochsauerland district constituency, addressed a request to the Minister of Economic Affairs. His district is involved "in a variety of ways in the field of climate protection" and therefore wants to advance necessary measures "with great motivation and enthusiasm," the CDU leader wrote to the Minister of Economics.
Merz also reported on delays in the approval of such a project. The application procedures have proven to be "bureaucratic and cumbersome," according to the CDU leader's complaint. "I ask you for the positive support of the procedure in the sense of important climate protection measures at the municipal level," Merz wrote further in the direction of Robert Habeck, calling the Minister of Economic Affairs a "dear colleague".
Two days after KTF ruling, Merz asks Habeck for money for his district
There are less than two weeks between the letter and the sweeping blow in the Bundestag. Two days before the letter, the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe had declared the reallocation of 60 billion euros to the Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF) unconstitutional, thus plunging the traffic light coalition into a government crisis. The corresponding lawsuit came from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.
But the funds that Merz had asked the Minister of Economics for his district would also come from the KTF fund, according to the report of Der Spiegel. Funds that have been frozen by the ruling from Karlsruhe and may not be paid out. The original application was submitted by District Administrator and CDU politician Karl Schneider to the federal agency "Future – Environment – Society" (ZUG) in June. With the funding, the Hochsauerland district planned to hire climate protection managers.
The background to the temporal connections is currently unclear. Was the CDU leader not aware that Habeck could not distribute the money from the KTF fund or did he even demand special treatment for his constituency? The Federal Ministry of Economics did not want to comment on the letter to Der Spiegel, but stated: "Due to a very high number of applications, the processing times have unfortunately been significantly longer."
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Scholz believes in solution – budget crisis of the traffic light government continues
The budget crisis of the traffic light government continues and will in all likelihood continue into the coming calendar year. "We are constantly working on getting it done as quickly as possible. It is important that all issues relating to the 2024 budget are discussed carefully and thoroughly," said Federal Chancellor Scholz on Friday (8 December).
To this end, Scholz, Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) and Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) are in intensive exchange. All available time periods would be used for talks, the spokesman said. "That alone is a good sign and all three are confident that a good agreement will be reached." The SPD parliamentary group leadership no longer considers a Bundestag resolution on the 2024 budget this year to be possible. So there should still be more than enough opportunities for Merz to continue verbally attacking the traffic light government. (fd with dpa)