German Greens agree to start formal talks on new government
ABC News
Germany’s Green party has given its blessing to opening formal coalition talks on a new government that would speed up the country’s exit from coal-fueled power and the expansion of renewable energy
BERLIN -- Germany's Green party gave its blessing Sunday to opening formal coalition talks on a new government that would speed up the country's exit from coal-fueled power and the expansion of renewable energy.
A congress of the environmentalist party signed off on negotiators' recommendation to open full-fledged talks on a government led by center-left Social Democrat Olaf Scholz. The pro-business Free Democrats, who usually ally with the center-right, would be the coalition's third partner. Their leadership is expected to give its approval on Monday.
The proposed coalition could be “a big win for the Greens, for Germany,” co-leader Robert Habeck told delegates. He added that “in the coming government, the Greens can take on more responsibility for our country than ever — we will be drivers of major transformations.”
A preliminary agreement after initial exploratory talks calls for Germany to accelerate its exit from coal-fueled power, currently due by 2038, so it “ideally” happens by 2030. That is a key Green demand. It also pledges to speed up “drastically” Germany's expansion of renewable energy generation, but says there will be no overall speed limit on Germany’s highways, which the Free Democrats opposed.
