Government formation: Union and SPD want to take coalition negotiations

Almost two weeks after the Bundestag election, the leaders from Union and SPD have agreed on the central issues and now want to accept concrete coalition negotiations. Among other things, both sides agreed on a joint course in migration policy, their previous main contestation.

Asylum seekers should also be rejected at the limits in the future – a core demands of the Union against which the SPD had long concerns. Whether this will in the end will take care of the turn in asylum policy required by the CDU and CSU is to prove: Because the rejections for which more police officers should control at the borders are planned “in coordination with the European neighbors” – and how they will react to this is open. In addition, the family reunification of refugees is to be further restricted.

The citizen benefit is to be reformed and a corporate tax reform should be tackled.

Merz “Collegial atmosphere” – Klingbeil: “First important step”

There was “agreement in a number of factual issues,” said Union faction leader Friedrich Merz after the decisive round of advice in Berlin. He spoke of a “good and very collegial atmosphere”. SPD boss Lars Klingbeil also spoke of “constructive” conversations. Union and SPD have shown that they take responsibility. “We have now succeeded in a first important step with this exploratory paper.”

CSU boss Markus Söder said there were no winners and losers of the talks, but new partners. On the question of whether he was satisfied, he said: “Bits Scho.”

Coalition agreement until Easter?

All party leaders want to recommend their top committees in meetings on Sunday and Monday to admit coalition negotiations. But this is considered a matter of form. Then work on the coalition agreement can begin. In it, the parties record which projects they want to tackle together in the legislative period – and also which party which is which ministry occupies. The likely future Chancellor Friedrich Merz has given the goal of being through until Easter.

Breakthrough in finances last Tuesday

In the central financial issues, the explorers had already achieved a breakthrough on Tuesday with the relaxation of the debt brake and a gigantic special fund for infrastructure. The Union came up very far from the SPD and even threw campaign promises over the pile. In the Union, it was hoped that the SPD was accommodated at the main contestation point of migration.

Limitation of migration as a legal goal

Merz had said in the election campaign that he wanted to instruct the Interior Ministry on the first day of an term as Chancellor to “reject all attempts from the illegal entry without exception”. The SPD had registered legal concerns.

The goal of the “limitation” of the migration now wants to resume the CSU, CSU and SPD in the Residence Act. However, the nationality right reformed by the traffic light coalition should continue to exist. It should be checked whether it is constitutionally possible to support terrorist supporters, anti-Semites and extremists who call up the liberal-democratic basic order to deprive German citizenship if they have further nationality.

Another big dispute was the citizens’ allowance. “We will redesign the previous civil allowance system towards basic security for job seekers,” said Merz after the talks. “For people who can work and repeatedly refuse to work, a complete deprivation of performance is carried out.” SPD boss Lars Klingbeil said whoever refused completely, cannot rely on the same support, that was fair and fair.

In addition, Merz announced that in accordance with the European Working Time Directive, the possibility of a weekly instead of a daily maximum working hours in the Working Hours Act would be created. “And we will put overtime surcharges tax -free that go beyond the full -time work that is agreed or based on collective agreements.”

Union and SPD want to reduce electricity tax to relieve companies and private households. Specifically, it should be reduced to the minimum value permitted in the EU. This should lead to relief by at least five cents per kilowatt hour. The Union and SPD also want to halve the transmission network charges, part of the electricity price. Business associations have long been complaining of high energy costs in international comparison. This in hemme investments in Germany.

According to calculations by the Verivox comparison portal, a reduction in electricity tax on the minimum value permitted in the EU would reduce electricity costs by almost 7 percent. A family with an annual consumption of 4,000 kilowatt hours would have to pay 93 euros less, a two-person household with 2,800 kWh could expect 65 euros less annually.

The Greens let the planned coalition fidget

Meanwhile, the Greens left open whether they agree to the loosening of the debt brake for defense and the special pot for infrastructure. Their voices would be important so that the package could be passed before the new Bundestag was constituted-because it would be much more difficult to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority.

The Greens accuse the Union and the SPD of wanting to finance their election promises through these new funds instead of using the money for actual improvements and delay structural reforms. “This is poison for our country,” said party leader Franzisika Brantner. Co-party leader Felix Banaszak emphasized: “We are further away from approval today than in the past few days.”

No alternative to black-red

The Union clearly won the Bundestag election on February 23 at 28.5 percent. The SPD landed behind the AfD (20.8 percent) at 16.4 percent. There is no alternative to the black and red coalition because black and green has no majority and working with the AfD is clearly excluded from the Union.