In 2022, politicians had to react a lot: Corona is not over yet, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. At the Epiphany meeting, FDP leader Lindner swears his party, which is putting pressure on him, to a “design year” in 2023 – at the expense of the welfare state.
The FDP chairman Christian Lindner has called for a break in economic and financial policy from the traffic light coalition partners for the new year. “If the coalition wants to have a chance of re-election, it will only succeed if we get the country back on the road to economic success,” said Lindner at his party’s epiphany meeting in Stuttgart. The coalition must focus less on redistribution and more on growth – the FDP also accepts conflicts with the government partners, said Lindner.
“The FDP should not submit proposals that fit the Greens – the FDP should continue to submit proposals that fit with reality,” said the party leader. “We will stick to that with cheerful penetrance.” After the crisis year 2022, the FDP wanted to ensure that 2023 would be a “design year”. This year “the turning point in economic and financial policy must follow”.
At the party meeting, Lindner formulated demands that have little chance of being implemented with the SPD and Greens, but are in the direction of demands from top candidates from his own party, which were presented to the “Handelsblatt” shortly before the Epiphany meeting. In a position paper, the chairman of the Bavarian FDP, Martin Hagen, and the Hessian top candidate of the Liberals, Stefan Naas, called for a profile to be sharpened. For the Liberals, important state elections are due in the two federal states in the fall.
In Stuttgart, for example, Lindner advocated a general reduction in the tax burden for citizens and companies. In energy policy, Germany must rely on more independence – and also seriously consider controversial technologies such as the extraction of shale gas.
Lindner warned that if the coalition gives the impression that it is “only concerned with distribution policy”, it will have no chance of being confirmed in the next election. The FDP will work in the coalition to create the basis for more dynamic growth. “They don’t know yet – but the SPD and the Greens must have a self-interest that at least the FDP hasn’t stopped thinking about tax policy.”
Lindner also commented on the recent “Marder” decision. He welcomes the delivery of German armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, but urges more speed in future decisions of this kind. It is important to bring about such resolutions “more quickly” among the Allies, he said. With such decisions, Germany also shares responsibility for the future of Ukraine.
