Bad marks for Germany鈥檚 climate-relevant ministries after first year in office
Tagesspiegel
The ministries responsible for implementing climate policy in Germany get bad marks from newspaper Tagesspiegel in an of their first year in office after the government was sworn in on 14 March 2018. Economy and energy minister Peter Altmaier is said to have 鈥渟tarted the term already tired鈥� and achieved 鈥渁lmost nothing鈥� in energy policy except making businesses angry with him. 鈥淭his is rare for a conservative CDU economy minister,鈥� the article says, adding that the long vacancy of the position of a state secretary for energy, which Altmaier filled only in February, had become a 鈥渞unning gag鈥� at Berlin鈥檚 political events.
Environment minister Svenja Schulze had to fend off hostilities from many of her colleagues, including Altmaier, the newspaper says. This had made it difficult for her to develop her profile as a determined advocate of climate action, but her most decisive battle is still to be decided, as the Chancellery currently reviews the minister鈥檚 controversial concept of a Climate Action Law for Germany. Finally, transport minister Andreas Scheuer is said to have disappointed even those who expected very little of him in the first place. Instead of holding Germany鈥檚 carmakers accountable for their role in the dieselgate scandal and to rigorously work towards bringing down emissions in his sector and to avoid diesel driving bans, Scheuer attacks environmental organisations and talks about air taxis. 鈥淎n obvious red herring by a minister who so far has achieved next to nothing regarding the transition in the transport sector,鈥� according to the article.
Germany鈥檚 government of the conservative CDU/CSU alliance and the Social Democrats (SPD) entered into their third coalition under Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2018, putting an end to the longest government formation period in the country鈥檚 post-war history. The renewed coalition was heavily opposed, especially by members of the SPD, who vowed to review its participation in government by late 2019 and could possibly end the coalition well before the official end of its term in late 2021.
