Beyond the corona pandemic, where further developments are difficult to foresee, the following problem areas in particular emerge:
Climate protection
Climate protection policy is one of the thickest boards left to drill – while time is running out as the earth continues to heat up. The expansion of renewable energies is central. More wind and solar energy will largely determine whether Germany will achieve its more ambitious climate goals. The German Association of Energy and Water Management estimates that around 1,500 new wind turbines will be needed on land each year by 2030 – a Herculean task, especially since approval procedures continue to take too long and more designated areas are needed. However, the current government has not issued a specific expansion plan until 2030.
The second big board is called social compensation: How can rising prices for fossil energy be absorbed in such a way that they do not lead to social upheaval? The EU Commission proposes a climate social fund to relieve citizens. The next German federal government must regulate the equalization at national level. The coalition dispute over the CO2 costs of tenancies shows that this will not be an easy task. A regulation that would have relieved tenants had failed in the last few meters. How things will continue here is uncertain.
In view of the devastating floods in parts of Germany, the upcoming government will also have to deal intensively with adapting to the already visible consequences of climate change. The status quo is unlikely to be enough to adequately protect people from drought, heavy rain and other extreme weather events.
Traffic turnaround
In order to achieve the climate goals, major changes in traffic are necessary: for significantly more electric cars, the expansion of a customer-friendly and nationwide charging network remains an ongoing task. The agenda also includes more money for public transport and legal relief for the construction of cycle paths. A big issue could be whether the price of CO2, and thus the price of petrol, will have to rise faster than previously planned. Then there is the controversial question of a general speed limit.
Debt ratio
In the coalition agreement, the Union and the SPD had agreed that national debt would be reduced to below 60 percent of economic output. In between it worked – but the corona pandemic tore a huge new hole in the German budget with expensive aid programs. At the end of 2021, the finance ministry expects the debt ratio to be around 75 percent again. Pushing them down without saving on urgently needed investments will be one of the mammoth tasks of the future government.
maintenance
The shortage of skilled workers remains a core problem in Germany. According to the Federal Employment Agency, there are currently only around 3,400 unemployed carers for every 12,300 vacancies for skilled workers in geriatric care. The black-red government has launched a reform this year that, in addition to relieving additional payments in the nursing home, is also supposed to bring higher wages for nursing staff – but whether the wage level goes up as quickly as necessary Achieving an employment effect is questionable from the point of view of experts.
childcare
CDU / CSU and SPD actually wanted to create a legal right to all-day care in elementary school. The project was in the Federal Council – the second parliamentary chamber next to the Bundestag, the chamber of states – but stopped shortly before the summer break. The federal states expect the federal government to contribute significantly more to the local personnel and operating costs than expected. If the mediation committee does not come to an agreement by the beginning of September, the project will have died for the time being.
Cellular
Despite some progress, the expansion of the digital infrastructure is stuck. Cell phone reception in rural Germany is still often poor. According to the Ministry of Transport, up to 5,000 locations are required for new cell phone masts in order to close “white spots”. There is also some catching up to do along the railway lines: Recently, Deutsche Bahn and Telekom announced that they would seamlessly supply the entire route network with Telekom’s mobile network – until the end of 2026.
steer
The soli (supplementary levy for citizens on several taxes, introduced after the reunification of Germany and justified by its costs, which flows into the federal budget, note) has been abolished for most – but Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) has failed with other tax projects. With his idea of a tax on share purchases, colleagues from other EU countries let him accuse him. The withholding tax on interest income has not yet been abolished, contrary to what was planned. Also still open: The tax return pre-filled by the tax office, which the citizens only have to check and complete.
Immigration
Germany is one of the main destination countries for irregular migration in Europe. That is why the German government wanted to push for a new agreement in the EU, which provides for an initial review at the EU’s external borders and a fairer distribution within the European Union. That didn `t work. The number of people seeking protection in Germany has been decreasing steadily since 2017. In the Ministry of the Interior, however, it is feared that this trend could change in the near future.
Internal security
The risk of Islamist attacks remains high. Several right-wing terrorist attacks have rocked the republic in recent years, and the propensity for violence is also increasing among left-wing extremists. With the support of scientists, new analysis tools will soon be available to better estimate the risk that individual extremists pose. A law that should give the German Federal Police new powers and better premises has failed in the Bundesrat. The new government has to try again here. Because the current Federal Police Act largely dates from 1994.
Agrarian
“Now we have a nice package for everyone who is potentially capable of governing,” said Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) when she recently presented the results of the “Agriculture Commission for the Future” that she had set up. A “pack”, which essentially contains the following mandate to the coming federal government: The agriculture of the future should become more environmentally friendly and animal friendly. According to the experts’ calculations, the coming government would have to provide more public funds for this. The Commission is also proposing a tax on food of animal origin and the introduction of more transparent labeling. The coalition could no longer agree on a state logo for meat and sausage from better animal husbandry – the so-called animal welfare label.
Children’s rights
After years of debate, the grand coalition wanted to expressly write children’s rights into the Basic Law – especially at the insistence of the SPD. With such an amendment to the Basic Law, so the argument goes, the concerns of children would be given greater consideration in government action. The necessary two-thirds majorities in Bundestag and the Federal Council were missed. The proposed wording did not go far enough for the Greens and Leftists; the Union did not want to weaken the position of the family in favor of the state. The dispute is likely to flare up again after the election at the latest.
