The leaders of CDU/CSU and SPD held a three-and-a-half-hour coalition committee meeting on budget, climate protection, and other topics, without making concrete decisions. The session at the Chancellery took place confidentially, skipping the usual press conference. Progress was reported on the climate protection program, while issues like fuel prices had already been addressed by the cabinet.
The coalition committee of the federal government, comprising representatives from the Union (CDU/CSU) and the SPD, met in the evening at the Chancellery. Leading the session were Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), SPD leaders Lars Klingbeil and Bärbel Bas, and CSU head Markus Söder. For the first time, Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD), not part of the regular lineup, participated. Discussions lasted three and a half hours, covering budget issues, climate protection, electoral reform, CO₂ pricing, grid fees, debt brake, and basic security.
According to sources close to participants, no concrete resolutions were adopted. However, progress was noted on the climate protection program, with productive talks on budget consolidation and basic security. Expectations for the meeting had been tempered beforehand, as it proceeded confidentially without public announcements of outcomes.
The federal government must submit its climate protection program by the end of March to meet the 2030 CO₂ targets. Current ministerial proposals fall short, and the planned amendment to the heating law, which would again permit the installation of gas and oil heaters, exacerbates the challenge.
The SPD also intended to address surging fuel prices stemming from the American-Israeli attack on Iran. The cabinet had preempted this earlier in the day: Gas stations may now raise prices only once daily, and the government, like other G7 nations, is drawing on oil reserves to stabilize supplies.
