UNMUTING:

In the ebbing days of the Merkel coalition, Merkel's interest and commitment to human rights and values waned. Interests often took precedence.

Baerbock has no illusions about China, Beijing's clampdown in Hong Kong, or Russia's unremitting pressure on civil society activists and organizations, with the closing of Memorial the latest development. Nor have the Greens illusions about how Russia uses its energy as a geopolitical weapon to divide Europe and increase its dependence on Russian gas.

The Greens are still against the highly controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline through which Russia will send more gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea. The pipeline is all but completed. But a final legal hurdle by the German energy regulators and renewed pressure from the United States means that Russian President Vladimir Putin now has to deal with the Greens even though incoming Chancellor Olaf Scholz is pro-Nord Stream 2 and, well, not a firm Russian critic.

This element of foreign policy links to human rights and climate change. Both matter hugely to the Greens but also to the other coalition partners.

With the EU's COVID-19 recovery fund slowly being disbursed, the coalition agreement makes the rule of law an issue. With an implicit reference to Poland and Hungary, the text states: "We urge the European Commission ... to use the existing rule-of-law instruments more consistently and in a timely manner." Berlin will sign off payment of these funds to those countries "if preconditions such as an independent judiciary are secured."

As for climate change, the coalition contract is radical. Coal will be phased out by 2030. The expansion of renewable energy will be speeded up so that the share of renewable energies in electricity will be 80 percent by 2030. Among other measures, freight trains and electric cars will be increased.

Digitization, an issue that Merkel talked a lot about but did very little, is another major plank of the coalition. The agreement refers to a "comprehensive digital awakening" for people's "prosperity, freedom, social participation and sustainability."

In his deadpan manner, Scholz said: "We are expanding the digital infrastructure so that there is fast internet and reliable cell phone reception everywhere." And state and local services will go digital. Finally!

The coalition agreement includes quite a lot on how to make the EU more accountable and more efficient, which will be welcomed in Paris. The text refers to developing a "federal European state," more qualified majority voting at the expense of unanimity (which often paralyses decisionmaking and waters down statements), and transnational candidates for some of the top EU posts.

The coalition is well aware of how difficult it's going to be to give a new impulse to Europe. It starts at home by considering a points-based immigration system and introducing dual citizenship, with immigrants able to apply for citizenship after five years. 

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