Cabinet met for consultations in Meseberg

The federal cabinet met on Sunday afternoon for a closed conference at Meseberg Castle in Brandenburg. Guest on the first day of the two-day deliberations is EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was welcomed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). According to the Federal Government, the central topics on Sunday are “Economic prospects for Germany and Europe at a turning point” as well as “Turning points and confidence”.

Politicians of the FDP announced in advance that the dispute over the combustion engine end in the EU should be discussed with von der Leyen. From the consultations in Meseberg he expects impulses "to ensure our competitiveness", said FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr to the newspapers of the editorial network Germany.

The EU had had to postpone the decision to phase out combustion engines from 2035 planned for next week. The reason is a veto threat from Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP). He insists that internal combustion engines that are operated with so-called e-fuels, i.e. synthetic fuels, should be exempt from the ban. This attitude has met with criticism from both the coalition and EU partners.

Another important topic of the closed conference, at which there will also be a regular cabinet meeting on Monday, is the federal budget for 2024. There had been a lot of disputes between the coalition partners over the past few weeks. In mid-March, the cabinet is to decide on the benchmark figures to be developed by the Federal Ministry of Finance. A central point of conflict is the financing of basic child security.

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