When the Green Party conference begins in Wiesbaden this Friday, one thing will be striking: the concentration of economic politicians at the new Green Party leadership. The designated party leader Franziska Brantner is currently parliamentary state secretary in Robert Habeck’s Ministry of Economic Affairs. Her colleague Felix Banaszak raised the money for the transformation of the economy in the Bundestag’s Economic and Budget Committee, and the designated campaign manager Andreas Audretsch was responsible for the issues of economy and labor as parliamentary group vice-president. Sven Giegold, who is running as deputy chairman, is another party import from the Ministry of Economic Affairs. When asked about this accumulation, Andreas Audretsch said in an interview with the F.A.Z.: “We didn’t plan this, but it fits well. What happens next in economic policy will play an important role in the election campaign.” The party is well positioned for this. In fact, it became clear weeks ago that Germany’s poor economic situation, and what should be done about it, would be a dominant topic in the election campaign should be. The CDU has set the goal of “becoming the workers’ party in Germany” (Friedrich Merz). In addition to pensioners, the SPD is courting employees in industry. To save the Meyer Werft shipyard, Chancellor Olaf Scholz traveled to the assembly hall in Papenburg in August. In the VW crisis, a number of social democrats are declaring factory closures a taboo. Bundestag member Franziska BrantnerJens Gyarmaty The Greens’ economic policy positioning in the election campaign has not yet been communicated so openly, unlike the personnel table. As with so many issues, there are different opinions on this within the party from the “Realos” and the left wing as to where the focus should be. While Family Minister Lisa Paus’ basic child security is still sacred to the party left, Realo Robert Habeck dismissed the issue in the summer when he also warned his party that politics should not focus so much on social benefits but rather on “social infrastructure”. . Franziska Brantner, on the other hand, is considered an advocate of new free trade agreements, while the left wing is critical of the export orientation of the German economy. Brantner is trying to de-escalate in the run-up to the party conference. “For me, economic and social policy go together – securing jobs is deeply social,” she says. Brantner would like to overcome the polarization between the wings, which has increased again after the party’s losses in the European elections and the state elections in East Germany. The fact that both Banaszak and Audretsch are considered moderate representatives of the left wing should help. But when representatives of the Green youth appear on talk shows with anti-capitalist slogans, this counteracts Habeck’s wooing of middle-class voters who are strangers to the Merz CDU. What is becoming apparent is that the Greens are raising the issue of climate protection in the election campaign – despite their experiences with it Heating law – definitely want to play a prominent role. The party says that no one else would do it. It is hoped that this will result in positive points not only among its own core electorate, but also among former Merkel supporters. Social justice is likely to be another central theme. Under the heading “public services,” Audretsch lists “cheap train travel, affordable housing, cheap electricity.” In order to finance this, he wants to ask wealthy people to pay more. “In the middle of society there is a feeling: We work a lot while others go out,” he says. Green politician Andreas AudretschPicture AllianceUnlike some in the CDU, he is not thinking about recipients of citizens’ benefits. “We should talk about equity gaps in taxes. Why do real estate companies often not pay property transfer tax? Why are speculative profits from real estate sales tax-free after ten years? Why are high capital gains taxed less than income?” Billions could be gained this way. Brantner also classifies wealth inequality as “clearly too high”. “This is not only bad for those at the bottom, but also for the economy as a whole.” The Green politician argues with studies that show that societies with high levels of wealth inequality perform worse economically. Her conclusion: “It’s about ensuring that everyone makes their contribution to our common good, for example by closing tax loopholes for the rich.” But Brantner also adds another aspect that is not based on redistribution: “It’s just as important how people who currently have little can build something for themselves. For example, by improving access to education, but also making building cheaper.”More on the topicIt is clear that the Greens will call for the debt brake to be relaxed in the election campaign. They have done this – with the SPD – again and again over the past three years. The more exciting question will be how they position themselves in tax policy. A debate on financial policy is on the party conference agenda for Saturday evening. In 2013, Jürgen Trittin campaigned as the Green top candidate with the demand for a higher top tax rate, a higher inheritance tax and a levy on assets of one million euros or more, despite warnings from realists like Winfried Kretschmann. This was not successful: the Greens slipped from 10.7 percent of the vote in 2009 to 8.4 percent – and still ended up behind the Left Party.
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