While King Charles of England was greeted with gunfire in Berlin, German Chancellor Scholz awaited a barrage of questions in the Bundestag yesterday. The opposition is totally unhappy with the German cabinet’s new climate deal, with arrows pointing mainly at coalition party De Groenen. “People don’t trust each other anymore,” says German correspondent Derk Marseille.
Scholz had to appear in the Bundestag for the first time after last weekend’s long night consultations on new climate measures. The criticisms in the German parliament are not soft, says Marseille. “According to the opposition, this government is completely incapable of making new decisions.”
Sloppy politics
Especially the Greens should spare him. The decisions that have been made are mainly grist for the liberal parties’ mill, says Marseille. “More than 140 new highways will be added, the ban on gas and oil heating has been lifted, and no firm agreements have been made on climate targets.”
Last week, the German government also managed to save the combustion engine for cars by making deals with the European Commission on the use of e-fuels. These are not Green positions.
‘Proposals leak, ministers fall apart at public meetings’
“Confidence in this cabinet seems to have completely disappeared,” Marseille says. Because in addition to the criticism of the shaky environmental policy, according to the opposition too little is invested in the German army. And also with regard to migration, it is not clear what should be done with the large number of refugees who have arrived in the country. “Most of these people are not working yet.”
Chaos
In the meantime, negotiations between unions and employers for a wage increase have also failed, leading to new strikes. This makes Germany look like complete chaos, says Marseille. “Actually, people don’t trust each other anymore. “Proposals leak out and ministers disagree with each other in public meetings.”
In that regard, the German government’s visit to the Netherlands earlier this week may have been a welcome change for Scholz’s team, he thinks. “But now they have to go back to work.”
Stability
The discontent in the German cabinet does not help the stability of the government. Personal feuds are fought behind the scenes. And things are just as tough between the parties,’ says Marseille. “Especially for the Greens. They are finally in government after 16 years of opposition and do not want to give up their position of power. And they blamed the previous government for that.”
But this new climate package in Germany shows a huge payoff for industry, which has been achieved through liberals in cabinet, says Marseille. “The Greens have to deal with it. I imagine that in the next few weeks De Groenen’s interiors will think about their location. Especially in view of the new budgetary consultations”.
According to German media, the largest opposition party, CDA-CSU, is working with the ruling FDP party on a proposal on migration policy. “Then you actually see that the most logical partners are already trying to find each other.”
King Charles
Yesterday the British King Charles also visited Germany. In impeccable German he addressed the German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “That’s how it should be, that’s how you enter Germany,” says Marseille. “That’s how you win the hearts of the Germans.”
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
