Greens and conservatives to form coalition to make Baden-Württemberg “climate action state”

The Green Party and the Christian Democrats (CDU) in the state of Baden-Württemberg have decided to enter coalition negotiations with the goal to make the southern German region “an international benchmark as a climate action state”. Ending initial talks to sound out the possibility of renewing the current green-black government, the parties’ 7-page-guidance for the coming weeks of negotiations puts a clear focus on climate action and the decarbonisation of the economy. “For us, the economy and climate action are two sides of the same coin – which is why the upcoming green-black state government will combine ecology and economy in a strong vision for our state,” said regional CDU head Thomas Strobl. The parties wrote that they want to work on an emergency programme for climate action and a new energy and mobility policy right after the new government takes office. They also aim to amend the state’s climate action law to include the target of reaching net-zero emissions “as fast as possible and in line with the 1.5°C goal”, more ambitious rules on solar energy for buildings, and the target to use 2 percent of the state’s land for wind and solar installations.

"Super election year" 2021 in Germany was kicked off with a resounding defeat of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative CDU in Baden-Württemberg election that saw the party incur historic losses, and the Greens win big. The Green Party’s Winfried Kretschmann is set to be re-elected state premier of a region renowned for its very strong industrial base, especially in the automotive sector.