Bundestag | Greens want to better explain rearmament

The Greens lost votes primarily to The Left in the early federal election. A key reason for this was likely their capitulation to the right-wing zeitgeist in asylum policy . The party received 11.6 percent in the vote on February 23—a loss of 3.1 percentage points compared to 2021.

At a two-day meeting, the executive committee of their parliamentary group in the Bundestag will discuss the reasons for this and the possible consequences. The parliamentary group leaders, Katharina Dröge and Britta Haßelmann, presented a strategy paper in advance, in which they take stock of the government's tenure in the traffic light coalition. The document, published by the parliamentary group on Monday, is intended to serve as a basis for discussion. They write that it is important to consider the fact that "the distorted image of the elite party, removed from everyday life," is taking hold.

First and foremost, however, they claim that the country has become "more climate-friendly, fairer, and more progressive" during their three years in government. Just before the start of the retreat, Dröge said in Berlin on Monday that the Greens had achieved a lot and needed to "move forward with confidence."

The parliamentary group leaders state that their party is associated with "major future issues such as climate protection, the defense of democracy, war and peace ." While they have championed many social issues in recent years, when it comes to people's everyday lives, "people think less about us." The party must change that. "Because crappy school toilets, leaky gyms, the village bus that doesn't come, the daycare center that's closed due to staff shortages, and grandma not being able to live off her pension—all of this is part of everyday life in Germany. And that's just as important as the global situation."

"Social issues are issues close to the hearts of the Greens. And yet, too often, the distorted image of an elite party that is removed from everyday life still holds sway."

Katharina Dröge, Britta Haßelmann Chair of the Green Party parliamentary group

Overall, however, the female politicians believe that the party's losses are primarily due to its political rivals. The CDU and CSU, in particular, have "spun sentiment against the Greens with sham debates and fake news." They have campaigned on a "completely fabricated gender imposition" and a "never-planned heat pump requirement."

The politicians only see a certain weakness in explaining their own actions as self-inflicted, for example with regard to their defense policy. Haßelmann and Dröge naturally believe this is correct, because "peace, security, and freedom" are "under greater threat than ever before." In January, Robert Habeck, still Minister of Economics, called for an increase in defense spending from just under two to 3.5 percent of gross domestic product . "But in the struggle for the best way forward, we should not have narrowed the discussion so much to individual weapons systems," write Dröge and Haßelmann. Foreign policy expert Anton Hofreiter, in particular, has repeatedly and vehemently called for the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.

The politicians are also critical of the communication regarding the Heating Act, which they say should have been "prepared and discussed differently." Many people were unclear about "what it's actually about and how it can work for them." Dröge said on Monday that the Greens must first "clarify their position on the issue of change." They must clearly state that not all sectors benefit from climate protection. Some business models, such as energy generation using fossil fuels, have no future.

The paper states that the analysis of the mistakes made during the traffic light coalition is necessary to ensure that there is a "progressive majority in 2029" and thus the opportunity for the Greens to participate in a "progressive government" again.