Coalition crisis: Merz meets Steinmeier, care and combustion engine issues delay decisions

On Monday, the President met Friedrich Merz at a reception in honor of the Federal Constitutional Court, and Steinmeier is said to have had the impression that the coalition could collapse.

The conflicts between the Union and the SPD regarding the reform of nursing care insurance are already known: The SPD wants a cost cap and participation by those with private insurance, the Union rejects both (more on this here). But the fact that even the head of state felt compelled to intervene is an alarming sign of the progressive disintegration of the coalition. When it came to nursing care reform, she was able to agree at the last minute to continue discussing the controversial issues in a commission, but that only meant a postponement, not a decision.

An initial decision on the Europe-wide phase-out of combustion engines will also be postponed. We remember: The EU Parliament originally decided four years ago that new cars would no longer be allowed to emit CO2 from 2035. At the end of 2025, the EU Commission proposed weakening this target - also because the German government was committed to this (more on this here). The EU Parliament's Transport Committee was due to vote on this easing next Monday, but there is now talk of a postponement of two weeks.

The reason? The conservative EPP group wants to weaken the weakened ban on combustion engines even further and is still looking for partners. The EPP parliamentary group leader Manfred Weber (CSU) wants “a stable and clear agreement in the political center.” This can also be understood as a threat to the previously reserved Social Democrats: If you don't take part, I'll vote again with the right-wing extremists. To be sure, it wouldn't be the first time (more on that here).

More background here: Groundbreaking vote to phase out combustion engines is delayed

One would actually think that it can't be particularly difficult to reach agreement on these issues, at least if you consider yourself suitable to govern the capital. I'd venture a suggestion: Organized crime? Combat. Racism? As well. And anti-Semitism? Of course too. At the same time, it should be equally clear that no one should be stigmatized just because they are related to criminals. And also that criticism of the Israeli government's policies is permitted.

In my opinion, anyone who does not manage to find a common line along these democratic self-evident lines should not even try to form a government. The communication difficulties can still be explained by the great excitement over the now infamous election party visits and MP contacts from clan leaders and Hamas sympathizers on the left (more on this here). But if the three parties cannot even agree on a simple commitment to the rule of law for a long period of time, then they are just providing another example of the old rule: the political opponents of the left are not first of all right-wingers or conservatives. Above all, it is other leftists who are a little different left-wing than you are.

More background information here: Preliminary exploration in Berlin – the Left, the Greens and the SPD diverge without any results