Spahn raises serious accusations against traffic light parties: Deception in nuclear phase-out?

In the debate surrounding Germany's nuclear phase-out, Union faction Vice Chairman Jens Spahn has accused the parties of the "traffic light coalition" of deception. The arguments put forward by the government for the phase-out of nuclear energy, such as nuclear safety concerns or lack of fuel rods, have been refuted, Spahn stated on Tuesday morning on Deutschlandfunk. He described the Green Party's portrayal as a "fairy tale world" where facts have been distorted. Last Monday, the leadership of the CDU and CSU agreed to set up an investigative committee. However, the final decision rests with the parliamentary faction, which must still vote on the matter. The convening of such a committee requires the approval of at least one-quarter of the Bundestag deputies, which the Union could easily achieve with its seats. Spahn sharply criticized the federal government and lamented the lack of open-ended investigations: “I have the impression that the Ministries of Environment and Economy are acting more like NGOs.” Proper management of a ministry requires evidence for such reviews; otherwise, the government's behavior should be considered as deceiving the public. The question arises whether a "green system of governance" exists that places party interests above the interests of the country. Reports from the magazine “Cicero” have added further pressure on Green ministers Robert Habeck (Economy) and Steffi Lemke (Environment). According to these reports, internal concerns within both ministries regarding the planned nuclear phase-out were suppressed in the spring of 2022. Both ministries have denied these allegations. Environment Minister Lemke defended the transparency of the decision-making process: “One of the most transparent decisions made in the year 2022 was the question: Do we keep nuclear power plants running longer?” she also said on Deutschlandfunk, emphasizing that everything had been publicly comprehensible. The German nuclear phase-out traces back to a decision by the black-yellow government under the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), which was made following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.