Merkel pulls "emergency brake" in coal exit talks - commentary

The stagnation in Germany’s task force on a coal exit is mainly due to neglect or even obstruction by policymakers, writes Klaus Stratmann in a commentary in the business daily Handelsblatt. He argues the financial framework for the phase-out remains unclear to this day. “The government has taken the easy way out by delegating the issue,” writes Stratmann. “But the subject is highly political. Especially for the affected eastern German regions, it’s about all or nothing.” Chancellor Angela Merkel’s intervention in the talks is long overdue, according to the author. “A few binding promises could advance the debate and ease the commission’s work.” 
Michael Bauchmüller writes in the Süddeutsche Zeitung with reference to Merkel’s intervention: “The year is not even ten days old, but it’s already high noon in climate policy.”