At the beginning of the new edition of green-black, the mood was quite rosy between the coalition partners. A good year later, friction between the Greens and the CDU is increasing. In times of crisis, plans should be questioned, the CDU parliamentary group believes.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - The topics of opera renovation, truck tolls and nuclear power are hot topics in the green-black coalition - but from the point of view of CDU parliamentary group leader Manuel Hagel, these topics have to be reassessed. These are "questions that arise in a completely different situation," said Hagel of the German Press Agency in Stuttgart. "Politics succeeds when it doesn't cling to things apodictically, but is always willing to question itself and correct the paths it has taken."
A good year after the start of the new coalition, the Greens and the CDU were noticeably aggravated. There was a dispute about the planned extension of the toll for trucks on state and district roads. In view of the high inflation and the looming energy crisis, Hagel rejected the extension of the truck toll. The Green Transport Minister Winfried Hermann reacted angrily and insisted on the coalition agreement.
The CDU state board had previously asked the Greens at the end of June to agree to longer operating times for the three remaining nuclear power plants because of the energy crisis. Hagel had also repeatedly questioned whether the renovation of the Stuttgart Opera, which would cost billions, really had to be that expensive.
Differences in a coalition are completely normal and will remain so in the future, said Hagel. As promised in the coalition agreement, Baden-Württemberg will become the number one climate protection state, and we will deliver. But on the topics of the State Opera and truck tolls, "different contributions to a debate" were made. "And especially at the State Opera, we have made a contribution to reliability and planning with our established guidelines."
The CDU parliamentary group only approved the establishment of a project company for the renovation of the opera house under certain conditions. Among other things, Hagel insists on examining cheaper alternatives. The state and the city of Stuttgart want to share the costs of the project. Whether the previous budget of more than one billion euros can be maintained is strongly questioned.
The opera will be renovated, Hagel assured. "The conditions under which our cultural workers work in the Stuttgart State Opera are unacceptable and a shame for our country." But he also said: "Let's pause and let's question whether the path we have taken is still the right one." An updated cost estimate is required. "We cannot work with a cost estimate from 2019."
Does the CDU set itself apart from the coalition partner in terms of content in order to gain a profile with a view to the next state elections? Hagel is considered a possible top candidate for the 2026 state elections. "That's a question that doesn't arise at all at the moment," he says himself. "We've learned one thing as the CDU: personnel discussions at the wrong time don't help us." He still has a lot planned for the country and the parliamentary group. "I really enjoy the task. That's why I don't get up every morning, look in the mirror and ask myself: 'What will become of you now?'"
Thomas Strobl, Minister of the Interior and Deputy Prime Minister in the green-black coalition, has headed the state association for more than a decade. "There are no automatisms in politics," said Hagel. "But in my opinion, the CDU state chairman always has the right of first access to the top candidate." He said that in the last legislature, and he stands by his statement. However, it is currently considered unlikely that Strobl will again run for the state presidency after the CDU election defeats of the past.
