In order to reduce Germany's dependence on Russian energy supplies, the Green Party leader, Ricarda Lang, has called for a temporary speed limit on motorways.

While there was encouragement from the SPD, the FDP rejected the initiative.

"The dependence on Russian gas, Russian oil and Russian coal has made us massively vulnerable," Lang told the newspapers of the editorial network Germany over the weekend.

"We have to do everything we can to get out of there as quickly as possible." A speed limit for several months could also contribute to this.

This is only possible if Germany diversifies its energy sources, expands renewable energies and also reduces its energy consumption as quickly as possible, Lang said.

The federal government should “look at everything that is on the table without prohibitions on thinking”.

"No measure will immediately end our dependence on oil," added the Green politician.

“But now every liter of oil counts and every way we can reduce consumption.

And because otherwise there are hardly any measures that take effect quickly, we now need a temporary speed limit on motorways - for example for nine months and thus until the end of the year, i.e. the time by which we want to become independent of Russian oil at the latest.

“Saves energy the easy way”

"There are very good arguments for a speed limit of 130 on motorways, for example that it saves energy in a very simple way," said the co-chair of the Democratic Left Forum in the SPD (DL21), Sebastian Roloff, the "Handelsblatt".

In addition, surveys also showed how much people supported the measure at the moment.

"Therefore, we should implement this quickly now."

The parliamentary state secretary in the Federal Ministry of Transport, Daniela Kluckert (FDP), rejected the request.

"We did not explicitly agree on a speed limit on motorways in the coalition agreement, and this decision stands," she also told the "Handelsblatt".

She referred to the relief package for the population that had already been agreed in the coalition.

This also includes lowering ticket prices for local public transport.

"If more people now use public transport, this also saves energy," explained Kluckert.

Against the background of the Ukraine war, an alliance of German environmental organizations and the chairman of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), Reiner Hoffmann, recently spoke out in favor of a speed limit on German autobahns.