Juso boss counters Klingbeil – "I wince at terms like 'leading power'"

Before the federal congress of the Jusos, which begins on Friday, its chairman Jessica Rosenthal rejected a political and military leadership role for Germany in Europe - and thus expressly contradicted SPD leader Lars Klingbeil. "We completely reject it. That is dangerous and Germany is not entitled to it," she told the "taz". “I am convinced that we should take more responsibility, yes. But I cringe when I hear terms like “leadership.”

Klingbeil, who is expected to attend the party's next generation meeting, said in June: "Germany is becoming more and more the focus, we should fulfill the expectations that are placed on us." And: "Germany must claim to be a leading power." Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) also recently described Germany as a “leading military power”.

Rosenthal called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to insist on limits when doing business with undemocratic countries during his trip to China next week. "In dealing with China, we must not repeat the same mistakes that we made with Russia," she told the Düsseldorf Rheinische Post. "Critical infrastructure in particular simply does not belong in private hands, but solely in public hands."

Scholz had advocated the participation of the Chinese group Cosco in a container terminal in the port of Hamburg, although several Greens and FDP-led ministries were against it for security concerns. In the end, the cabinet agreed on a reduced stake of 25 percent.

With 50 members of the Bundestag, the Jusos currently make up almost a quarter of the SPD parliamentary group. At their three-day federal congress in Oberhausen, they are also discussing further ways of relieving the burden on citizens in view of skyrocketing energy costs and high inflation.

For example, the 300 delegates have motions to reintroduce the 9-euro ticket, for an energy allowance for all workers and for a permanent abolition of VAT on staple foods. However, the FDP in the traffic light coalition rejects the cancellation of VAT, and the federal and state governments have already agreed on 49 euros for local transport tickets from 2023. From the point of view of the Jusos, higher assets should be taxed more heavily or burdened with a one-off property levy to finance further relief.