Coalition committee discusses the future of the traffic light government

What’s next for the federal government? The leaders of the traffic light alliance are currently discussing this. As the Bild newspaper reports, Finance Minister Lindner has proposed new elections to Chancellor Scholz.

The coalition committee of the traffic light government met to discuss further cooperation. It’s about how the billion dollar hole in the 2025 budget can be plugged and the ailing German economy can be brought back on track. If the talks fail, there is also a risk of a break in the traffic light coalition. According to information from the Bild newspaper, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner is said to have suggested to Chancellor Olaf Scholz that the way be cleared for new elections at the beginning of next year.

Before the coalition committee, Chancellor Scholz met again with Economics Minister Robert Habeck and Finance Minister Lindner to find a common line for the coalition committee. There have already been four such crisis meetings since Monday. Nothing was known about possible results. A larger group is now coming together in the coalition committee, which also includes the party and parliamentary group leaders of the SPD, Greens and FDP.

Steinmeier advises with Scholz and Merz

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is also receiving information from the ARD capital studios according to the exchange with the Chancellor. Tomorrow, Thursday, Steinmeier also wants to meet with opposition leader and CDU boss Friedrich Merz. The meeting had been planned for a long time. What this entails in detail was therefore not stated.

However, the global uncertainty that threatens in view of Trump’s election victory could perhaps bring the coalition together again. The SPD and the Greens in particular are hoping for this. “I hope that everyone will now throw party-tactical considerations overboard, that we will also look each other in the eyes in the coalition committee this evening, and that we will once again realize what responsibility we now bear,” said SPD leader Lars Klingbeil ARD morning magazine.

“Autumn of Decisions”

Lindner announced the “autumn of decisions” for the coalition some time ago. By this he was primarily referring to the budget for next year, which is due to be passed in the Bundestag on November 29th. He is also concerned with a strategy for leading Germany out of the economic crisis. He made suggestions that escalated the dispute in the coalition. In his concept for an economic turnaround, Lindner calls, among other things, for the final abolition of the solidarity surcharge, even for high earners, and a change of course in climate policy.

There is considerable resistance to such ideas from the SPD and the Greens. Habeck also took a step towards Lindner. On Monday, Habeck agreed to use the billions in funding released after the postponement of the construction of an Intel factory in Magdeburg to plug budget holes. The FDP again described his offer as a “sham package”.