Traffic light off: Which projects are on the brink?

The economy is under pressure, there is still war in Ukraine and with the re-elected US President Trump, uncertainty is growing. In this time of crisis, the government in Germany is falling apart. After the traffic lights went out, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) led a minority government made up of the SPD and the Greens. The FDP is now in opposition. For every legislative proposal, Scholz must therefore find support in the Bundestag beyond the SPD and the Greens – a challenge that exacerbates everyday government life. It is already clear that numerous planned traffic light projects could be stopped, including the budget for next year.

Scholz: Say goodbye to projects “without delay” before Christmas

Scholz doesn’t want to ask the Bundestag for a vote of confidence until January and clear the way for new elections – because: The SPD politician plans to bring key legislative proposals to a vote in the remaining weeks of the Bundestag session until Christmas. For Scholz, this includes tax relief, spending on security and stabilizing his pension. He emphasizes that these projects “will not tolerate any delay.”

The FDP budget expert Otto Fricke signals that his party could agree to individual projects that the FDP has previously supported in the government. This is particularly about tax relief for citizens and companies.

CDU ties cooperation to quick new elections

The position in the Union is different: CDU politician Franziska Hoppermann ties the approval to one condition: Scholz must clear the way for new elections more quickly: “He has to ask the question of confidence next week. And when it is clear what the timetable is, then “We can talk about things that cannot be postponed, such as procurement processes for the Bundeswehr.”

The Bavarian Bundestag member Florian Oßner, CSU householder, adds: Projects such as the growth initiative were not yet agreed upon within the traffic light coalition. “How are we supposed to answer this now as a Union when we ourselves weren’t involved in the entire negotiations?”