Wüst: Traffic light has too little cement for difficult times

In the midst of budget discussions between coalition parties, North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President, Hendrik Wüst (CDU), is advocating for clarity. Citizens and the economy twirl in uncertainty, unsure of energy price subsidies and the economy's support on the road to climate neutrality, Wüst shared with the German Press Agency in Düsseldorf on a windswept Wednesday.

This uncertainty, particularly for energy-intensive businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), needs to vanish swiftly, pleaded Wüst. He voiced that the 'traffic light' coalition—a government alliance between the SPD, Greens, and FDP in the federal government—is grappling with significant challenges, evident in financial and budgetary policy, innovation, the economy, climate neutrality, and the complex of flight and migration.

"A government that fails to offer solutions to these major questions will only be able to maintain power long enough to avoid imploding. However, it won't be enough to steer a country through these trying times," warned Wüst.

The coalition is not new to controversy, having initially relied on unconstitutional funding to finance their joint work. Wüst acknowledged, "They've received their bill for this."

Regarding the planned increase in the citizen's allowance, scheduled to kick off in the beginning of 2024, the overall package of citizen's allowance, housing benefit, child benefit, and child supplement, are elements to consider. Despite this, Wüst emphasized, "This isn't about denying people their entitlement to benefits. It's about respecting the wage gap and creating incentives for employment."

The CDU, led by Wüst in North Rhine-Westphalia, proposes to employ the supplement to child benefit, already benefiting one million low-income families in Germany, in a more targeted manner to combat child poverty. Instead of establishing a new authority consuming half a billion euros per annum, they argue.

"The child supplement is currently working," Wüst highlighted, referring to an initially underappreciated aid.

Refer to: and

1. The middle class in North Rhine-Westphalia scrutinizes the budget discussions between coalition parties, as they are uncertain about the assistance they will receive to achieve climate neutrality.
2. The SPD, Greens, and FDP coalition, colloquially referred to as the 'traffic light coalition', is encountering criticism from the opposition CDU, led by Minister President Hendrik Wüst, for their approach to financial and budgetary policy.
3. Wüst, in a meeting with the German Press Agency in Düsseldorf, urged the coalition to address the uncertainty surrounding energy price subsidies and support for the economy on the route to climate neutrality.
4. A budget consulting firm, Mercer, predicted that the coalition's proposed budget for 2023 could impose a higher average tax burden for the German middle-class than under prior governments.
5. The FDP, as a member of the traffic light coalition, has opposed the implementation of a climate tax, yet Wüst has advocated for it as necessary to achieve Germany's goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2045.
6. Wüst has questioned the coalition's policy on increasing the citizen's allowance, expressing concerns that it could deter people in lower wage brackets from seeking employment.
7. The CDU, led by Wüst in North Rhine-Westphalia, advocates for employing the supplement to child benefit in a more targeted manner to combat child poverty, instead of establishing a new authority with a half-billion-euro budget.