Berlin In public, Robert Habeck (Greens) and Christian Lindner (FDP) like to celebrate casual interactions with each other. When the two sit next to each other on the government bench in the Bundestag, they joke and laugh together. But away from the cameras, the two politicians have been wrestling with each other since the beginning of the traffic light coalition. Now their conflict has reached a new high.
Even more remarkable, however, is the dashing, sometimes mocking tone in the letters, from which some in Berlin concluded that the tense relationship had apparently completely broken down in the meantime. Some observers even spoke of the beginning of the end of the traffic light coalition.
That may be exaggerated, but many traffic light representatives were horrified to see how Habeck and Lindner attacked each other in their letters and fear that the dispute could escalate further – and the traffic light government would be even more divided.
The frustration with Lindner had recently increased among the Greens. While the finance minister is blocking green heart projects such as basic child security in the budget negotiations with reference to a lack of money, he himself is demanding further tax cuts and is open to higher defense spending. “That surprises us very much,” says party circles. Both are not in the coalition agreement.
Green politician: “Lindner can’t just saw that off”
In addition to basic child security, changes in the transport sector are also important to the Greens. Especially after the protests in Lützerath, where the split between the party and the climate movement became visible, the party leadership wants to show successes here. “It’s not about our extra requests, but about projects agreed in the coalition agreement,” says a Green. “Lindner can’t just saw them off like that.”
>> Read more: Budget scandal – Habeck and Lindner argue about the federal budget
More and more top Greens are complaining that Lindner is using the budget to push through their own pet projects and let those of the Greens fall behind. In coalition circles, it is said that Family Minister Lisa Paus and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged Habeck to write the letter to Lindner.
Habeck’s environment denied. The letter was a joint decision. According to the green parliamentary group, there is great dissatisfaction with the FDP’s “blockade attitude” when it comes to financing important social and climate policy projects.
“Dear Mr. Colleague,” Habeck begins his letter, “I am writing to you on behalf of the ministries led by the Greens.”
Dear colleague,… Robert Habeck in his letter to Christian Lindner
Lindner should please stop making “unilateral preliminary determinations”, warns Habeck and then proposes “improving income” if necessary in order to implement coalition projects and at the same time be able to comply with the debt brake.
Berlin puzzles over the letters
It’s not as if Habeck and Lindner, who have been on first name terms for a long time, are now using the first name again. Various stories are circulating in Berlin as to why the address in Habeck’s letter was so formal.
The Vice Chancellor was on vacation in Tel Aviv earlier this week. He was only back in Berlin on Thursday, in the evening he visited the Berlinale film festival. He couldn’t add a handwritten “Dear Christian”.
When the “dear colleague” Lindner holds the letter in his hands, he is quite astonished. It is said that he sees the letter as a double declaration of war by Habeck. Even the demand for higher income is pure provocation for him.
From Lindner’s point of view, it is even more serious that Habeck is questioning his responsibility for prioritizing expenses with the letter.
It is said from those around Lindner that the minister had to react to Habeck. “Otherwise we would have gotten on the wrong track.” Then both the budget negotiations and the agreed compliance with the debt brake would have been in question.
Lindner explains all of these points in his reply to Habeck. However, he begins the letter with a mocking sentence. “I was relieved that the ministries led by the Greens are not questioning the Basic Law,” he writes, referring to Habeck’s statements about wanting to comply with the debt brake.
Not the first dispute between Habeck and Lindner
It is not the first time that Lindner and Habeck have clashed. Whether the promotion of electric cars, longer running times for nuclear power plants or the gas surcharge – the two have been at each other’s throats several times.
Lindner’s traffic light partners are skeptical about greater relief for companies.
(Photo: dpa)
Habeck had already complained to Lindner in a letter in March 2022, even then Habeck began his letter to Lindner with “Dear Mr. Colleague”. At that time, the Economics Minister wanted to rededicate the Corona rescue package for the energy crisis, but Lindner was against it.
The exchange of letters this week has a different dimension, this time Habeck speaks for all green-run departments of the federal government. After the scandal, the Greens tried to downplay the letter as a common tool in budget negotiations. There can be no talk of a break in the coalition.
Rather, one is annoyed that the exchange of letters became public. “The FDP is so nervous after leaving the Berlin Senate that it has to resort to dirty means,” it says. This does not bode well for the coalition partner’s willingness to compromise in the budget negotiations.
Greens fear blackmail from Lindner
The Greens fear that Lindner could use the election defeat of the FDP in Berlin as a means of pressure to push through more “FDP pure” in the traffic light.
But Lindner has to think carefully about what he wants to use the money for now so that he doesn’t end up being the brakeman himself, according to Habeck’s confidant. For example, the planned settlement of the Intel chip company in Magdeburg is mentioned.
The group is demanding higher subsidies and is currently negotiating with the Ministry of Economic Affairs. If Intel doesn’t come to Germany in the end, Lindner will have to take it upon himself, according to Habeck’s confidante.
Because one will not understand that one can only meet Intel’s wishes if one has to do without projects for the green conversion of the economy.
The SPD stays out of the dispute between the two coalition partners – which is not only well received by the coalition partners. There, restraint is now considered strategy.
I don’t understand why two ministers who have each other’s cell phones don’t talk to each other and instead exchange letters. SPD faction vizin Verena Hubertz
Even if the SPD is clearly in line with the FDP on certain issues, they no longer make it clear, complains a top FDP representative. Apparently, the tactics of the SPD, FDP and Greens should be allowed to run counter to each other instead of governing well together.
The Greens see it that way too. “To pretend that this is just a dispute between the FDP and the Greens is really silly,” said the head of the Green Youth, Sarah-Lee Heinrich, the Handelsblatt. “Doesn’t the SPD have any interest in the money really being there for the social projects?”
SPD-Left gives Habeck backing
In the SPD one weighs it down. If the federal government gives a divided picture, the entire coalition will be held responsible, including the SPD. “I don’t understand why two ministers who have each other’s mobile phone numbers don’t talk to each other and instead exchange letters,” said SPD parliamentary group viz Verena Hubertz. “It would be good for us as a traffic light to discuss different ideas constructively and confidentially.”
But the internal conflicts created in the coalition could now erupt fully in the dispute over the federal budget. In any case, leading politicians in the SPD-Left Party give Habeck their full backing.
>> Read also: FDP calls for tax cuts in response to American subsidies
“In terms of content, I agree with Robert Habeck: A crisis budget for 2024 under the conditions of the debt brake and without additional income would be negligent,” said the federal chairman of the Jusos, Jessica Rosenthal, the Handelsblatt.
According to Rosenthal, who also sits in the Bundestag, additional income is possible through a one-off property tax, the abolition of climate-damaging subsidies or appropriate taxation of inheritances.
The co-head of the SPD left, Sebastian Roloff, made a similar statement. “From our point of view, too, the coalition projects, in particular the socio-political issues, must be implemented as agreed,” said the member of the Bundestag.
And with a view to Lindner, Roloff added: “Mr. Lindner is welcome to screw on the income side if he finds that he is not getting projects financed – just opposing it is not future-proof policy.” Lindner sees it differently.
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