It is “a challenge in terms of content to make progress with the FDP, but also the SPD”, for example with climate protection. “The SPD has to leave it behind, playing off climate protection and social justice against each other,” she said. The FDP is buying it from having recognized the urgency of the issue. The problem is that the liberals have not backed this urgency with their measures.
Schäfer has been a member of the six-member Green Federal Executive Committee since 2018. Between 2015 and 2017 she was the national spokesperson for the Green Youth. In the federal elections last Sunday, she achieved a historic success: As the first politician of the Greens, the 28-year-old won a direct mandate in Bavaria – in the constituency of Munich-South.
She is convinced that the talks with the FDP and SPD will be successful. “It has become clear that many people want modern politics, new beginnings and change,” said Schäfer. However, she does not want to rule out a coalition with the Union.
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“We want to decide at the party congress on Saturday that the Greens are ready for a sustainable government,” she said when asked whether the party base would agree to a coalition with the Union. “That is the benchmark – also for an alliance with the Union.”
It was the responsibility of the Greens to ensure “that this is exactly what a new government has in mind”. Even before the explorations, however, you can tell from the atmosphere “that the other interlocutors also want to change something,” she continued. “That is a good basis.”
Read the full interview here
Ms. Schäfer, are the traffic lights on on Sunday?
It is now not a question of building up time pressure. It is important that we agree on the common substance. In addition, we only meet with the SPD for the first time on Sunday afternoon.
How optimistic are you that the talks will lead to the participation of the Greens in government?
It has become clear that many people want more modern politics, new beginnings and change. We Greens have a responsibility to make sure that a new government has exactly that in mind. The issue of climate protection is crucial, and it must be implemented in a socially fair manner. We also need to move in a progressive direction in terms of economic policy. And so far I am very confident that we can do it in the next few weeks. Even before the explorations, you can tell from the atmosphere that the other interlocutors also want to change something. That’s a good foundation.
What is your wish for the talks on Friday?
There are points on which we can come together more quickly – for example socio-political issues, an immigration law, the abolition of the advertising ban on abortion and a cannabis control law. Here I see a lot of overlap with the FDP, on which we can reach an agreement. However, there will also be more difficult points.
For example?
For example climate protection, which we will hopefully discuss seriously on Friday. We also need to talk about the more difficult points in order to build mutual trust.
What pitfalls do you see?
We have more ambitious plans to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement. In terms of content, it is therefore a challenge to make progress on climate protection with the FDP, but also with the SPD. The SPD has to leave it behind to pit climate protection and social justice against each other. But I am confident that we can move forward together. After all, Germany is obliged under international law to comply with the Paris Agreement, and for this it finally needs measures up to the level of the challenges.
Possible compromises
The FDP also takes climate protection as seriously as the Greens imagine?
I buy it from the FDP that they recognized the urgency of the issue. The problem is that the FDP does not substantiate this urgency with its measures. In practice, emissions trading will not reduce CO2 emissions quickly enough, since the European unification required for this will take a very, very long time. And a CO2 cap without forward-looking measures would lead to major social and economic upheavals – and is therefore not a serious suggestion. The production of headlines in climate policy must end if the citizens are to take a new government seriously.
And in financial policy? There are big differences.
To this day I do not understand how the FDP was able to present a program that relieves higher earners and thus tears large gaps in the budget, while at the same time holding on to the debt brake. Even though we have major investments to make in the future right now. So there are some difficult points there.
Would an investment fund be a conceivable compromise?
We’ll look at that. For me it is not about the instrument, but rather that the necessary investments can finally be made.
What could the one story be that a traffic light could carry?
We need a new way of making politics, a vision of the future – and by no means a politics of the lowest common denominator. A framework is needed in which our economic activity can take place in a climate-neutral manner and people can develop in the best possible way. The challenge then is to reconcile this big narrative with the necessary measures. I am confident that this can succeed because I also see the willingness of the FDP and SPD to modernize the country.
Relationship to the Union
Wouldn’t the Union be the easier partner in terms of climate protection? The SPD has shown itself to be quite stubborn in the past.
We said before the election that we would speak to all democratic parties. And we have also made it clear that the next government must be a climate government. The Union just doesn’t seem particularly capable of negotiating at the moment.
Are you excluding Jamaica, as the Green Youth are calling for?
In any case, it would be a coalition with an election loser. That doesn’t exactly make it any easier. But we are ready to talk. The point now is not to rule anything out. It’s about how we can live up to our responsibility to meet climate targets, close the gap between rich and poor, invest in the future and achieve a credible foreign policy. But I believe that the traffic light coalition is the more likely and more appropriate option.
How high do you rate the chances that the grassroots will agree to a possible Jamaica coalition?
We want to decide at the party congress on Saturday that the Greens are ready for a sustainable government. That is the benchmark – also for an alliance with the Union. Approval would therefore depend very much on the program we are negotiating.
What bargaining power do you see apart from specialist topics? Katrin Göring-Eckardt is traded as Federal President.
I think it is absurd to distribute posts now before coalition negotiations have started.
We noticed that your negotiating team isn’t really diverse.
We have a closer exploratory team to conduct the negotiations and a broader one to prepare the negotiations and ensure anchoring in the party. Due to its size, the 24-person team represents the breadth of the party in a more differentiated manner than the smaller team.
What are your demands on the composition of the next government?
It is absolutely important that we involve people with a migration background in government work. Too little has happened so far. And on the subject of diversity in general: Awet Tesfaiesus is the first black woman in Parliament’s history to move in through our group. The fact that this has only now become possible shows that we are still a long way from where we should be.
More: How other countries form multi-party coalitions