Farmers’ protests against subsidy cuts continue. A demonstration in Berlin on Monday is supposed to be the highlight. The traffic light coalition is now making an offer for talks on this day.
After days of protests against the planned agricultural cuts, the traffic light coalition is reaching out to the farmers. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) expressed understanding for the protests and offered farmers a dialogue. The leaders of the coalition factions invited the chairmen of the eight farmers’ associations to a meeting in Berlin on Monday.
SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich made it clear that he wanted to keep the discussion open-ended. He did not fundamentally rule out changes to the planned dismantling of tax relief for agricultural diesel. “We’re not pushing anything through, we’re discussing it,” he emphasized. “We consider all the arguments and in the end we decide.”
Around 500 demonstrators welcome Scholz
With its plans to abolish tax breaks for agricultural diesel, the traffic light government triggered a storm of protest from farmers, which could not be stopped even by concessions from the government. The Chancellor felt this directly when he visited a new railway factory in Cottbus.
The police led a convoy of tractors past the venue before his speech. Loud honking could be heard. Many of the approximately 500 demonstrators wore green vests with the words “No food without us.” “We live in turbulent times, we’ve heard a bit of that too,” said Scholz, commenting on the protests. “And that’s also part of democracy, that you express your opinion.”
State Farmers President: Dialogue offer “unfortunately far too late”
Scholz met with Brandenburg’s state farmers’ president Henrik Wendorff on the sidelines of the event. According to the farmers, he offered to stay in dialogue, but made no concessions.
“It has been recognized that – unfortunately far too late – a dialogue is being entered into that we have been expecting for a long, long time,” said Wendorff after the conversation with the Chancellor. Scholz told him that he would speak to Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens). But by offering a dialogue to find solutions, he will not get farmers off the streets overnight. “That is not enough.”
Invitation of the parliamentary group leaders for the main day of protests
The farmers’ protests are expected to culminate on Monday with a demonstration in Berlin. The leaders of the traffic light factions want to meet with the farmers’ associations on the sidelines. The parliamentary group leaders Rolf Mützenich (SPD), Britta Haßelmann (Greens) and Christian Dürr (FDP) sent out an invitation on Wednesday afternoon.
“The current demonstrations make it clear that your profession is not only concerned about financial burdens, but also about a lack of planning security and economic prospects for agricultural businesses,” says the letter, which is available to the German Press Agency. “It is important to us to remain in direct dialogue with agricultural representatives on these issues.”
Mützenich: Let’s look at all the government’s proposals
With a view to the meeting, Mützenich made his willingness to compromise clear. “We are now looking at all of the federal government’s proposals. This is not just tradition, but well-understood self-interest,” he said. “In the end, decisions in a democracy are made by those whom the sovereign has given this mandate for four years. And I stand for that.”
The parliamentary process to close the billion-dollar hole in the 2024 federal budget will only begin afterwards. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said on Monday that the government stood by its cuts proposals despite the protests. Mützenich now reminded that the Bundestag has the final say.
Positive reaction to the offer of conversation
In an initial reaction, the rural agriculture working group (AbL) welcomed the traffic light initiative. Its chairman Martin Schulz called on the government and the parliamentary group leaders to “finally turn things around in agricultural policy”.
The farmers’ association is still not satisfied with the government’s easing of subsidy cuts. President Joachim Rukwied is now relying on the upcoming parliamentary procedure. “Now it is up to the federal government and the parliamentary groups in the German Bundestag to end these protests,” he told the dpa. “A lazy compromise like the one currently on the table cannot be a solution – because it won’t get a tractor off the road.”
Esken gives farmers no hope
SPD leader Saskia Esken gave farmers no hope that the government coalition would move. “We have now agreed to phase out this subsidy for agricultural diesel step by step – we should stick with that,” said Esken in the RTL/ntv “Early Start”. It’s about reducing climate-damaging subsidies. This applies under the impression of the budget, but it is also a general goal of the coalition.
Source: Stern
