At the start of the closed conference of the party executive, SPD leader Saskia Esken called for a significant acceleration in infrastructure expansion in Germany. “We also have to ignite a turbo in mobility on rail and road, in heating networks, in renewable energies and of course in digital networks,” said Esken at the beginning of the two-day consultations, in which Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz is also taking part. A “boost” is also necessary for the improvement of education and training and for the integration of migrants.
At the meeting, the SPD board of directors wants to pass a resolution entitled “Strong infrastructure for Germany”, which calls for greater support for future technologies, better planning security for investments and more state participation in energy, mobility and communication networks. In addition to overcoming the current crises, future issues must also be actively addressed, according to the six-page draft resolution. “This requires a comeback of infrastructure policy for the 21st century.”
Faster planning and approvals
For many decades, the infrastructure has been a guarantee of Germany’s economic success, said Esken. In recent years, however, things have come to a standstill. “Bridges are ailing, we are lagging behind when it comes to digitization, poor networks and systems are slowing down our future. And our promise of education has also become brittle.”
In the resolution, the SPD is now primarily in favor of accelerating planning and approval procedures. “Anyone who wants to expand sustainable infrastructure in Germany or make investments in the future shouldn’t have to wait years for it.”
During the retreat, the party executive also wanted to deal with communicating party work to the outside world. The election campaign consultant and copywriter Frank Stauss has been invited. On Monday, the party executive wants to look at the four state elections this year in Berlin, Bremen, Bavaria and Hesse. A talk with the leader of the Party of European Socialists, Stefan Löfven, about the 2024 European elections is also planned.
