CDU and Greens in Schleswig-Holstein have successfully concluded their coalition negotiations. “We’re through with the negotiations,” said Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) on Tuesday evening after the crucial summit meeting. All open questions have been clarified. Günther has not yet named any specific appointments. He referred to the presentation of the coalition agreement planned for Wednesday afternoon. “We have a good result,” said Finance Minister Monika Heinold from the Greens.

After the coalition agreement was signed on Wednesday, both state party conventions will have to make the final decisions next Monday. They come together in Neumünster. Günther’s re-election in the state parliament is planned for Wednesday next week, after which he wants to appoint the members of his new cabinet. His government statement on the political goals of the new coalition government is due the next day.

The approval of the party conferences is just as certain as the election of Günther. The CDU and the Greens together have 48 of the 69 mandates in the state parliament. Both parties had agreed in principle early on to head for more ambitious climate goals and to accelerate the energy transition and planning processes. They also want to counteract the shortage of skilled workers.

Concrete interim results were hardly known in the course of the negotiations. One of the questions that remained unanswered until the end was when certain climate protection goals should be achieved. There have also been unresolved issues for a long time with regard to the expansion of wind energy and transport and agricultural policy.

Daniel Günther’s CDU clearly won the state elections on May 8 with 43.4 percent and only just missed an absolute majority. With 18.3 percent, the Greens became the second strongest force ahead of the SPD. So far, the CDU and Greens have governed Schleswig-Holstein in a three-party coalition with the FDP. However, soundings about a new edition of the alliance failed. The CDU and Greens had therefore been negotiating since the end of May.