Germany’s incoming government unveils plans to legalize cannabis and phase out coal

The incoming government’s vision for Germany includes plans to legalize cannabis. It also aims to phase-out coal by 2030 and have at least 15 million electric cars on the road by the same year. Mandatory Covid-19 vaccines would also be considered, amid soaring cases in the country. Under the agreement announced in Berlin on Wednesday, Scholz, of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), will head a three-party coalition with partners the Greens and pro-business Free Democrats. It follows a close September election and two months of negotiations to form a new government.Scholz, joined by coalition partner leaders, told a news conference that the “traffic light government” is here, referring to the red, yellow and green colors of the respective parties. “We want to be daring when it comes to climate and industry,” he said. The deal — which sets out the government’s vision for its four-year term — will now go to the wider party members for consideration. Barring any last-minute upsets, Scholz will be sworn in as chancellor early next month.The new government’s coalition parties are not traditional bedfellows. The pro-business Free Democrats is more usually aligned with the center-right, rather than the left-leaning SPD and Greens. But on Wednesday Germany’s three-party coalition government presented a smiling, united front to gathered reporters. The prospective government spells theThe crisis too has turned a sharper focus on Russia’s influence in Europe — not least the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will bring gas from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea. German authorities last week paused the approval process for the pipeline amid issues with the company’s operating license. Elsewhere populist governments in Poland and Hungary continue to push the boundaries of EU membership by rolling back core democratic values. Recently, the EU’s top court ruled Poland had violated the bloc’s laws relating to judicial independence.Scholz’s predecessor Merkel made a name as the steady hand of EU diplomacy, variously steering the bloc through the European debt and migrant crisis. Whether the new chancellor will also step up to the role of EU leader — or leave those shoes for another to fill — remains to be seen.Stephanie Halasz, Inke Kappeler and Chris Stern contributed to this report