Coal Standoff Hinders Merkel's Push for Next German Government
- Greens, pro-market Free Democrats at odds over climate
- German chancellor seeks to calm clash among potential partners
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A clash over climate change between two of Angela Merkel’s potential government partners escalated to the point that the German chancellor had to step in to tone things down.
With the Greens calling for an end to coal power generation in Europe’s biggest economy by 2030 and the pro-market Free Democratic Party balking, competing interests erupted into the open after the latest round of talks on forming Germany’s next government. It’s a sign of the pitfalls facing Merkel on topics from the euro and immigration to energy and the environment.