Energy talks: Social Democrats fight for industry interests

摘要

In the German coalition talks about energy reform, the Social Democrats (SPD) push for more support of ailing coal power plants and oppose a binding law against climate change, abandoning their strongly eco-friendly position. In a strategy paper for the talks with the Conservative CDU-CSU that start on 31 October, the SPD incorporates a deep strategic shift away from strong support for the Energiewende (energy transition) to a more industry-friendly approach. In the synopsis, which Europolitics environment obtained exclusively, the SPD forfeits its original demand for a German energy law with binding CO_2 emission targets in favour of a national climate plan that has better odds to be agreed upon by the Christian Democrats. In the paper, which comes from the party leadership, the SPD asks to funnel the income from the auctioning of CO_2 allowances of the EU's Emissions Trading System to the Lander (states) instead of the central government according to the contribution of the regional industry to the system.