Union and SPD: final sprint in talks about new federal government

The Union and SPD will go into the possibly decisive hours during their talks about a new federal government. Not least in view of the international situation and the new US customs policy, the negotiators feel pressure for a quick degree. “It should go quickly, it has to be good,” said CDU politician Jens Spahn in Berlin.

For almost four weeks, top politicians from the CDU, CSU and SPD have been negotiating a common coalition agreement, which is intended to record the most important project of a black and red government. The Saarland Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (SPD) sees the negotiators on the right track. “The last few meters are the most strenuous, but I am sure that the effort will be worthwhile,” she said in front of the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus.

Ministerial distribution not yet an issue

The Union’s parliamentary managing director of the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei, was optimistic about the end. When asked whether you would be finished on Wednesday, he said: “Of course, that also depends on the dynamics of the next few hours. But overall there is a very high willingness to get together.” Many issues are cleared out.

A lot was united on Monday, said the SPD politician Bärbel Bas. Some chunks were still on the table. The distribution of the ministries, which is traditionally clarified in coalition negotiations, is not yet one. “We are still with the content,” said the former Bundestag president.

In the “early start” of RTL and NTV, Bas had previously emphasized that because of the news from the USA, it was important that you get a degree quickly. I can’t say it exactly about the day, but the pressure is already there, “she said.” Everything can still fail. “What it can crack from is now also the final negotiations. Of course it’s about financing, “said Bas.

The possibility of accepting billions in debt does not solve the budget dispute. “The budget is not secure financially, but we still have a structural deficit.” Austerity measures would also have to be taken.

Dissatisfaction of the citizens creates pressure

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig also sees the negotiators under a special time pressure-this time it is different than in the last coalition negotiations on the formation of a traffic light government, said the SPD politician. The dissatisfaction in Germany is great, the citizens quickly wanted a new government.

“I find that understandable and it is important that we get a stable and reliable government,” said Schwesig. But it is also important that this government keeps what it promises and therefore you have to take the necessary time.

How it goes after agreement

Even if the top of the three parties have agreed on a coalition agreement at some point, the new government is not yet. The contract must still be approved by the CDU, CSU and SPD. The SPD wants to have all members vote on this. The membership survey will surely be labor -intensive again, said Bas. “As I know my SPD, they don’t just wave through, but they will look at the contract very critically,” she said. The negotiators would have to explain the coalition agreement well and promote yes.

In the CDU, too, demands for a membership decision had recently become loud – mainly because of the decisions of the Federal Party and the parliamentary group to the debt package and the debt brake. Frei declined the demands. The CDU’s statute situation is very clear: “Namely, that a small party congress decides on the result of the coalition agreement,” he said. “And we will handle that too.”