However, at a meeting of the federal governments at the end of September, the Greens announced that they would only join this governing coalition if core projects of their ten-point plan, such as climate change mitigation, social cohesion, and social justice, became a political priority of the federal government. Exploratory groups were established within the negotiating parties.[1] The beginning of the talks were postponed until the snap state election in Lower Saxony had concluded.
A black-green-yellow coalition at the federal level was also seen in the press as an alliance of the West German middle class and would have had a majority almost exclusively in the western part of the Federal Republic; without an emphasis on women's and social policy as well as compensation for rural areas, a migration of Green voters to the Left was expected, based on the experience of the Jamaica coalition in the city of Bonn, according to Katja Dörner, a participant in the exploratory talks.[1]
Negotiations
Press representatives waiting in front of the Konrad Adenauer House after the outcome of the exploratory talks, November 2017
The building of the German Parliamentary Society[de] in Berlin's government district during a protest rally at the time of the Jamaica coalition exploratory talks.
After three introductory meetings in pairs, 52 delegates met for the first time in a large group in Berlin on 20 October – dubbed the "Jamaica Quartet" by the media due to the participation of more than three parties . The secretariats of the four participating parties had pre-structured 12 thematic blocks for the working meeting at the German Parliamentary Society[de]. Considerable controversy was observed between the CSU and the Greens, but according to polls, 83% of citizens surveyed expected that common ground would be sought and compromises reached.
According to Georg Nüßlein (CSU), the deputy chairman of the CDU/CSUparliamentary group in the Bundestag responsible for environmental policy, the introduction of a national CO2 pricing system, championed by the FDP and the Greens and intended to be linked to the abolition or reduction of the electricity tax, failed due to resistance from the CDU/CSU.[1]
Explanations for the termination of the exploratory talks
Chancellor Angela Merkel and CSU Chairman Horst Seehofer then spoke. Angela Merkel stated that they had "experienced a lot" and that there had been "very different cultures of negotiating styles." She now "regretted" that “we could not find a common solution".[1] In contrast, Seehofer stated that it was “a shame” that "the FDP had withdrawn and broken off the negotiations".[1]
According to Lukas Köhler and Ingrid Nestle, one of the reasons for the breakdown was the disagreement over the extent of the reduction in coal-fired power generation[de]: a reduction of "coal capacity" by only 5 GW, which the FDP could accept at the time, or by 7 GW, as already negotiated between the CDU/CSU and the Greens.[1] The coalition agreement[de] of 7 February 2018, between the CDU/CSU and the SPD does not specify a reduction target.
Minister-President of Schleswig-HolsteinDaniel Günther (CDU) expressed his disappointment, stating that the negotiations had brought them significantly closer to an agreement and that the crucial issues had already been resolved. He was therefore very surprised by the FDP's withdrawal. His cabinet colleague, the Green Party Environment Minister Robert Habeck, was also personally disappointed and even suspected tactical calculation on the part of the FDP behind the final day of negotiations.[1]
Parties
CDU Deputy Chairwoman Julia Klöckner tweeted that she would have preferred "if all party leaders could have announced the breakdown of talks together".[1] The Young Union in Düsseldorf demanded the immediate resignation of (then-acting) Chancellor Merkel.[1]SPD Deputy Chairman Ralf Stegner reiterated that his party would not be available for another grand coalition.[1] Green Party Managing Director Michael Kellner assumed that the failure of the exploratory talks could lead to new elections.[1] The AfD politician Alice Weidel saw the breakdown of the exploratory talks as a success for her party: "We prevented a black-green coalition".[1]Die Linke called for new elections; its chairwoman Katja Kipping stated that new elections were the democratically appropriate consequence and would show that "the Merkel system is not capable of securing a majority".[1]
Outside Germany
President of the European CommissionJean-Claude Juncker, through a spokesperson, stated that he was confident that "the constitutional process in Germany […] will ensure stability and continuity".[1]President of RussiaVladimir Putin said that the Russian government was monitoring the government formation process and hoped for a swift and successful conclusion.[1]French PresidentEmmanuel Macron said that it was not in France's interest for the situation in Germany to be tense as Germany was playing a central role in Macron's plans for EU reform.[1] Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra warned that "it is bad news for Europe that the government formation process will take a little longer".[1]
Reception
The exploratory talks and their conclusion were often summarized using an allegorical image related to the island of Jamaica: “Shortly before reaching the coast of Jamaica, perhaps even upon entering the harbor, the steamer with the sounding team on board capsized.”... “The journey to Jamaica – over, stranded on the reef …” (Tagesspiegel). The failure of the talks was often referred to in the media simply as the end of the Jamaica talks.
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![The building of the German Parliamentary Society [de] in Berlin's government district during a protest rally at the time of the Jamaica coalition exploratory talks. Demonstration zum Ende der Sondierungsgesprache mit der Forderung nach einem Kohleausstieg 2.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Demonstration_zum_Ende_der_Sondierungsgespr%C3%A4che_mit_der_Forderung_nach_einem_Kohleausstieg_2.jpg/250px-Demonstration_zum_Ende_der_Sondierungsgespr%C3%A4che_mit_der_Forderung_nach_einem_Kohleausstieg_2.jpg)