“All red lines from Crimea to civil society remain”
German Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats have agreed to form a new governing coalition. According to plans, the head of the German chancellor will be filled by the head of the SPD and the current vice chancellor Olaf Scholz. The German Foreign Ministry is likely to be led by ardent criticism of the Kremlin and Nord Stream 2, Green Co-Chair Annalena Berbock and her party colleague Robert Habek, the “superministry” for climate and economic affairs. The expert said what changes in policy towards the Russian Federation can be expected from the new government.
Photo: AP
For the first time at the federal level, a coalition of traffic lights was formed in Germany, named after the colors of the parties involved: Social Democrats (SPD) have red, yellow – from the Free Democrats (FDP), green – from the Union 90/Green Party.
“A traffic light coalition has been formed,” Social Democrat leader Olaf Scholz told a news conference in Berlin. – The SPD, the Greens and the FDP approved a coalition agreement and agreed to form a coalition government. We will now vote on this agreement in our parties and we will do our utmost to ensure that it is approved within the next ten days. ” working groups that have been trying for a month and a half to find common ground on key issues on both the internal and external agendas. According to plans, Olaf Scholz will become the new German Chancellor. He can take the oath from December 6 to 8.
According to Der Spiegel, the parties divided the ministerial posts as follows: the SPD gained six portfolios, the Greens five and the FDP four. This distribution largely repeats the same system that developed during the country's GroKo coalition (Große Koalition – MK ), consisting of the country's two leading political forces – the conservative CDU/CSU bloc and the Social Democratic Party. Of Germany.
The Social Democrats, as the leading party, will be relegated to the positions of Minister of Defense, Interior and Health. Green is the State Department, which is likely to be led by fierce criticism of the Kremlin and Nord Stream 2's project by Annalena Berbock. The party's second co-chairman, Robert Habek, will become head of the new Ministry of Climate and Economy, which German environmentalists have insisted on.
In addition, Habek is expected to become vice-chairman. -chancellor. This is also indirectly evidenced by the fact that he represented the party's priorities in the new coalition at a political press conference.
The Free Democrats will receive the Ministry of Justice and Finance. FDP chief Christian Lindner is expected to lead the Treasury Department. He has previously described the receipt of this portfolio as one of the key conditions for the party's entry into the government.
In the coalition agreement, Russia is presented as a major international player. Coalition members noted that they would work to maintain “stable and strong” relations with Moscow, “taking into account the different perceptions of threats and focusing on a common and consistent EU policy towards the Russian Federation.”
“Russia is mentioned six times in the coalition agreement and in a very restrained context,” comments MK Vladislav Bělov, head of the Center for German Studies at the RAS Institute of Europe. – As I understand it, the Social Democrats have been able to curb the Greens' anti-Russian enthusiasm. Therefore, the same Annalene Berbock, as perhaps the head of the German Foreign Ministry, will in any case have to follow a general strategy with regard to the Russian Federation.
The coalition agreement states that improvements between countries are not expected in the political sphere. In this respect, our relations are at the lowest point of the value and moral vector of Germany's foreign policy. Therefore, deterioration is possible. For example, the work of the Petersburg Dialogue Forum will not be resumed and other sites may be frozen.
All the red lines from Crimea to civil society remain. Surprisingly, the coalition agreement does not mention Navalný, hacker threats or hybrid wars …
The tone is generally clear. But it could have been worse. There will be no turning points in economics, science, education, but there will be no deterioration. At the very least, it is hoped that Russia and Germany will operate within the framework of European “green trade”, hydrogen energy, digitization, etc. Other ministries will now be responsible for these issues. It is clear that the Greens will lead the new “superministry” of the economy and climate. And that is just one of the party's few points of interest with Moscow.
So cautious optimism is still there. A hydrogen forum will take place very soon. Most likely, the Germans will confirm their readiness to continue their interaction in the field of transport and logistics. At least German business is not leaving Russia. The “Greens” will definitely not “shit” us here. In addition, there are free democrats who advocate economic cooperation. However, during personal interviews, German environmentalists will, of course, express their phi to the Kremlin, the Russian leader.
In any case, while a coalition agreement is being negotiated in the parties, changes may occur. It is possible that the Greens may still add a fly in the part that concerns Russia. By the way, our country is given the most space in the document – neither Ukraine nor Belarus, specifically Russia, is devoted to a few paragraphs.
Moreover, it will by no means be the head of the foreign policy department, which will determine the policy towards Russia in the GDR and the chancellor. At one time, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas decided to play an anti-Russian tune. It was quickly pulled out and repaired. And again, the coalition agreement should not be forgotten. This is not a piece of paper, but a serious document. ”