Winfried Kretschmann, is now back in the green specimen in the circle of the Prime Minister. To the meeting of the conciliation Committee, on Wednesday towards others have taken over the directing. In the evening, the representatives of the countries meet with those of the Bundestag, to discuss the final Form of the basic changes in the law that has linked the Federal government with the digital Pact for the schools.
Kretschmann, the round is likely to look forward to with a mixture of tension and Serenity. Without his Insistence it would not have given this mediation procedure. Without him it would have come to law reform with more significant changes in favor of the Federal government. Most of all he saw, of course, if there were no around schrauberei to the Constitution. What comes out on Wednesday, will taste the baden-württemberg’s Minister President, therefore, in any case. He agrees in the end? Or, he turns consistently to the end?
Kretschmann has won
The opportunity to make their mark on the federalism debate over the past few months, has he used in any case. As the only green head of government in the countries he is not a low power factor. But in the end, he is always confronted with two facts: one is the usual black-and-red Federal-state-bladder, with its Federal-state Deals, on the other, with its Green in the Federal and also in other countries, which are clearly unitary-minded as the choice results in best of country politicians, by the party’s ever had.
Actually, you can lose in this double-hostile environment only. But Kretschmann is able to take advantage of the circumstances and to draw with his significant own sense of things since the summer, at least in the direction he thinks is right. And the Strong countries, and as little as possible cooperative Federal-state-fumbling. Because he doesn’t like compromises. As he stands there, but also quite alone. However, constitutional political Kretschmann is his own Guru. In the federalism reform in the middle of the zero years, he fought against the further erosion of the country’s autonomy.
rant in the Federal Council
The crusade of the 70-Year-old against all and Sundry in the matter of amendment of the Constitution began to be lonely with a rant in the Federal Council last July. As he ranted, quite generally, that the co-Finance of national and municipal tasks should be expanded by the Federal government – in the case of the education infrastructure, social housing, regional traffic.
The colleagues were slightly irritated. Some of them had wrote, after all, in the coalition agreement. Where Kretschmann smells indecent influence and steering attempts of the Federal government, especially in the school policy, you will see a welcome money flows from the Federal budget, for it is a bit of a break to have more say and control from Berlin accepts.
But over the summer managed to Kretschmann, to find the likes. The otherwise rather pragmatic, Volker Bouffier, Hesse got involved in the resistance action, Markus Söder in Munich, the Prime Minister of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer.
And then the Bundestag, came to help
The most important prey, but Armin was Laschet, düsseldorf head of government, with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia on the side had the Kretschmann merged group of countries took a blocking minority in the Bundesrat. And then the Bundestag came to help. To a pitch of the Committee on budgets, ahead of the powerful CDU MP Eckhardt Rehberg, the package with the requirement to half of the co-financing of Federal programs by the countries. Also more control options were added.
And to the greens and the FDP to get into the boat, finally, a two-thirds majority is necessary, could their fractions – still supported by the SPD – financial aid to the promotion of the quality and efficiency of education, make. For Kretschmann is a Horror.
nose ring for the country
The Stuttgart-based head of the government saw this as finally the will of the Federation to fruition, as not to miss the countries, a nose ring, even school policy around. Here, too, the colleagues in the Prime Minister conference was followed, although not necessarily of his dramatic interpretation, but it was enough, in December the Federal Council for a referral to the conciliation Committee, with the 69 votes all countries. Sixteen to zero – it was also the kretschmanns small Triumph.
In the Bundestag had been underestimated, as has already in the talks for a new financial compensation scheme, two years earlier, the willingness to Unity in the countries. In addition, Kretschmann had established a line of reasoning that is not easily eliminated. With the digital Pact for the schools the Federal government provides five billion Euro for W-Lan, Tablets, and other available to the digitisation of education to advance.
By proclaim, but a financial gap in the country, which must cover the waistband, a confess, he at the same time the under-funding of countries and municipalities in the education sector, the kretschmanns logic. Why otherwise, financial aid is necessary? A sub-financing but not the same on fixed-term programmes, but on a different tax distribution. Kretschmann knocked on the basic law, article 106. He wanted no program funds, but tax funds, was his watchword. The latter cannot exist without Federal influence, the former.
Lonely line
But this line Kretschmann’s not in the conciliation procedure. It will come on Wednesday to fundamental changes in the law that give the Federal government more possibilities for program funding. The Improvements devised by the Bundestag in November and went over the agreements in the black-red coalition agreement, will be taken largely. But the Federal government can have a say in the way it was envisaged in the black-red coalition agreement, more and can control more. The green has not been able to eliminate solitaire.
he Is now a loser? Kretschmann is a national politician. His stage is not the Berlin policy, but the South-West. And there he has spotted. For half a year he has dominated the nationwide federalism debate. In Berlin was and is not an issue for the big headlines.
Baden-Württemberg looks a little different, Minister President Lothar Späth and Erwin Teufel benefited. The southwest is understood as a functioning part of Germany. And has defended Kretschmann. His poll numbers were phenomenal. In the case of a direct election, 59 percent of citizens would choose for him. CDU leader Thomas Strobl, a coalition partner and Minister of the interior, would get five percent. With Kretschmann, the Greens are safely in the front.
But for now, Söder
However, his time as a perceived member of the leaders at least of the stronger countries is coming to an end. The role he could play, because the natural occupation was prevented. Markus Söder had to consolidate in Munich once his Position and the power struggle in the CSU in the previous year to survive, including the coalition crisis in Berlin.
Now Söder can compete. In the autumn, he will be the Chairman of the Prime Ministers ‘ conference. In the function, he wants to turn a larger wheel than in the past. A point: the Reform of federalism, with the aim to increase the independence of the country. In any case, the countries that want to act Autonomous. Söder makes the man, so to speak.
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know what that means. But all of the stage insistence he does not want to leave. “I have to get him to be a great ally, and I am very glad. As we pull together,“ says Kretschmann method, with a view to Söders attitude in the mediation. Now he wants to leave for future adventures with the “Southern” revival. The music moves from Stuttgart to Munich, can’t prevent Kretschmann. (with dpa)
