It would be the first time that the Greens and the CDU governed together in North Rhine-Westphalia. The soundings have been completed – now it has to be decided whether to start coalition negotiations.
Almost two weeks after the state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, the CDU and Greens have agreed on the key points for a possible government alliance. At the end of their four-day exploratory talks, delegations from both parties agreed on a very detailed twelve-page result paper on Friday evening. It bears the heading “For the future of North Rhine-Westphalia”.
On the basis of the key points, the top committees of the CDU and Greens are to decide on the official start of coalition negotiations on Sunday. So far, the CDU and the Greens have never governed together in the most populous federal state.
One goal: NRW to be the first climate-neutral industrial region in Europe
In the exploratory paper, the CDU and the Greens commit themselves to a climate-neutral industrialized country. “We will make North Rhine-Westphalia the first climate-neutral industrial region in Europe.” The parties want to launch an “immediate climate protection program and an early exit from coal by 2030.” In the education sector, 10,000 additional teachers are to be hired in the coming years. With a binding step-by-step plan, the starting salary for all teachers is also to be raised to A13.
Around 100 delegates from the Greens are coming together in Essen on Sunday for a small party conference to vote on the start of coalition negotiations. In Düsseldorf, the similarly sized extended state executive committee of the CDU will decide on this.
The CDU clearly won the election on May 15 with 35.7 percent. With 26.7 percent, the SPD slipped to its worst result in a state election in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Greens were able to almost triple their share of the vote compared to 2017 to 18.2 percent and ended up in third place.
