At the German coal exit is still much unclear. Only one thing seems to be able to tell without much risk: Many problems resulting from structural change are likely to be filled with money.
It seems a bit like someone in Berlin has placed a giant pot of gold on a marketplace, and almost everyone is allowed to make use of it. He just has to introduce some project and glue the label "Strukturwandel" on it.
Whether it is really about every single project to structural change, the federal government does not currently seem to see so closely.
At their evening meeting in the Chancellor's Office, for example, the prime ministers were able to negotiate an emergency grant of 150 million euros from Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD). To do this, they submitted to him a list, which is something like the "Wish You What" of every local politician.
The state of Brandenburg is demanding 1.2 million euros for an observation tower to be set up in the Liebloser Heide. For three million euros and a "Heideradweg" to be built. It is questionable whether this will drive Brandenburg's transformation into a high-tech state.
In neighboring Saxony-Anhalt, the clever country politicians have also once again looked deeply into the drawer and found in the back even a few projects that you always wanted to realize. Now, for example, 1.8 million euros from the Kohlausstiegs pot in the Burgenlandkreis flow. On "strengthening cultural tourism".
The state of Saxony, in whose northern part lies the Lusatia, would like to have 200,000 euros for "ensuring joint administration" in the Geopark Faltenbogen, a picturesque terminal moraine from the Elster ice age not far from the Polish border.
The Eastern countries, in particular, were clever at auditioning with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and warning of the great danger to their regions. The threaten to fall in the upcoming state elections to the AfD, especially if the structural change commission should decide the hasty exit from lignite - an argument that has caught on the Chancellor obviously.
Structural aid for hard coal
What seems less in the foreground of the talks are dozens of sites with hard coal-fired power plants, which are distributed from Wilhelmshaven to Karlsruhe, above all across the western part of the country.
After all, there was also a first agreement last week. According to the SPIEGEL, the Federal Government has agreed with the four states affected by the coalition withdrawal which part of the structural aid is to be used for the closure of the coal-fired power plants.
At their meeting last Tuesday at the Chancellery, the prime ministers agreed to spend the tens of billions of euros on structural change to 15 percent for the 9,000 employees in the power plants and municipalities.
Among other things, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology wants to promote the conversion of areas where coal-fired power plants are shut down. "Even now, municipalities should plan the after-use for these areas and develop concepts for the resettlement of companies," said Oliver Wittke, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics, the SPIEGEL.
The Confederation wants to fund such initiatives with a targeted program, so that the land can be converted shortly after the closure of the facilities. "These areas are excellently developed, partly with rails and waterways, and are therefore suitable as a location for future-oriented companies," said Wittke.
Already in the next few years, many old hard coal-fired power plants will be closed. That's what the Government Commission on Growth, Structural Change and Employment is planning to submit its report by the end of the month.