Grüne on the economy

The Greens want to link the energy and port industries and back a green harbor strategy as well as port cooperation among the northern German states. Offshore wind is to be expanded further, and importing green gases is meant to secure jobs and value creation in the region.

The Greens want to make ports greener. The northern states should work together on their ports. More wind turbines should stand at sea. Climate-friendly gas should come into the country through the ports. This should bring jobs.

The program sees the so-called Energiedrehscheibe Nordwest (northwest energy hub) as an opportunity for maritime jobs and regional value creation. Importing green gases is meant to strengthen the port industry on the North Sea and inland. Offshore wind and its infrastructure are to be expanded in harmony with nature and local conditions. Another goal is a future-proof rail link between the ports and the hinterland.

The Greens want no new cars with fossil-fuel combustion engines to be registered from 2030 at the latest. The state is to use its stake in Volkswagen more actively to promote the shift to a mobility company. According to the program, Lower Saxony should become a pioneer of climate-friendly mobility.

The Greens want no new gasoline or diesel cars from 2030. The state owns part of VW. It should use this influence more. VW should build more electric cars.

The program backs converting VW plants into production sites for electric cars and the planned battery factory in Salzgitter. It supports a strategy away from fossil combustion engines and heavy SUVs toward smaller, lighter vehicles and mobility services at VW and its suppliers. Battery recycling in the state is to be expanded. In the Greens' view, the state has so far made too little use of its influence on the supervisory board to align VW with climate requirements in time.

The Greens want to steer structural change in the auto industry and its suppliers through government industrial and regional policy. Companies are to receive investment aid, loan guarantees and training programs. Workers are to be financially secure during further training, and more companies are to pay collectively agreed wages.

Electric cars mean some jobs will go away. The Greens want new jobs to come to the same places. Companies should get money and loan guarantees for this. Workers should be secure during further training.

The program acknowledges that e-mobility, automation and digitalization will cost jobs at VW in the medium term and that many suppliers will lose their line of business. At the same time, it says the energy and transport transition is increasing demand for skilled workers and industrial know-how. Companies are to get help developing new products. Higher collective bargaining coverage and secured further training are meant to ensure good jobs during the change.

The Greens want to launch a large training and retraining initiative together with the skilled trades. The platform argues that trade businesses are needed for building renovation, renewable energy, housing construction and digital networks, and that many apprenticeship positions remain unfilled.

The Greens want more skilled workers in the trades. They plan a big program for training and retraining. Apprenticeships should become more attractive. The platform says the trades are important for climate protection.

According to the platform, about one fifth of apprenticeship positions in the trades currently cannot be filled. The Greens see dual vocational training as the core of securing skilled workers. Training is to become more attractive, among other things by expanding partial-pay schemes for apprentices. The training centers run by the trades are also to be strengthened.

The Greens want to set up a capital fund for sustainable and innovative start-ups to close gaps in seed funding. In addition, private venture capital is to be mobilized, and the state is to be able to take temporary stakes in young companies.

New companies need money to get started. The Greens want to create a fund for this. A fund is a pot of money for a set purpose. Private investors should join in too. The state should be able to become a part owner for a while.

Private venture capital is meant to back larger investments as well, for example in green tech, artificial intelligence, sustainable mobility, communications and biotechnology. Public procurement procedures are to be simplified so that start-ups can bid for public contracts more easily. Collectively agreed pay and good working conditions are to remain guaranteed. Worker co-determination is to be part of public start-up funding from the outset.

The Greens want to make tourism in Lower Saxony more sustainable and nature-oriented and to fund tourism regions on a lasting basis. The platform sees trends such as domestic vacations, sustainability and regional focus as opportunities for the sector.

Many people vacation in Lower Saxony. The Greens want this tourism to be gentle on nature. Tourist towns should get reliable money from the state. Getting there by bus and train should become more attractive.

According to the platform, almost 300,000 jobs in the state depend directly or indirectly on tourism. The natural features of the regions, such as the Wadden Sea, the Weserbergland or the Green Belt, are to be highlighted more. Existing funding tools are to be reviewed and adjusted. Camping outside official campsites with the landowner's consent is to be made easier. Tourism is also to get stronger representation in the state parliament and government.

The Greens want to strengthen value creation in the regions through pilot projects for regional economic cycles. This is meant to benefit rural areas, small and mid-sized businesses and sustainability. According to the platform, profits then stay local and regions become less dependent on global crises.

The Greens want to strengthen the economy in the regions. Goods should travel short distances. The money should stay in the region. The Greens will fund pilot projects for this. This should help rural areas and small companies most.

As models, the platform cites villages that generate their own renewable energy and community shops where farmers sell their products. Expanding the circular economy is meant to create sustainable value chains with short distances. The resulting jobs are to be tied into wider structures and networks beyond the region.

The Greens consider gross domestic product alone unsuitable for measuring economic success. They want to introduce pilot projects for common-good balance sheets that show how companies affect society and the environment. Private firms are to get funding for such a balance sheet where needed.

The Greens want to measure economic success differently. It should not only be about growth. Companies should also show what they do for the environment and society. This is called a common-good balance sheet. The Greens want to try this out in projects.

Alongside GDP, measures such as resource use, sustainability, mobility within the education system and social justice are to be included. The pilot projects are to involve companies partly owned by the state, small and mid-sized businesses, and municipalities. The necessary indicators are to be developed on a scientific basis. The platform expects transparency and comparability to encourage responsible conduct and make companies more attractive to employees.

The Greens want to gear EU and state funding programs for urban and rural areas toward social and ecological transformation. Funding that runs against environmental and climate goals would be dropped. Applications would become simpler and more digital.

The state and the EU give money to regions. The Greens want to use this money for climate protection and social services. Things that harm the climate should get no more money. Applying should become easier.

The offices for regional state development would be strengthened as regional funding bodies for area-based and structural support. The programs are meant to enable social infrastructure and sustainable mobility and to follow the European Green Deal and the regional action strategies. Climate-relevant programs would get fixed climate targets and a minimum share of measures with measurable CO2 savings. More advice for applicants and new tools for measuring impact and success are also planned.