BERLIN (Reuters – Germany’s FDP leader Christian Lindner has reacted negatively to a plan to increase public investment to support a shift to a green economy. This would be done by taking on additional debt in the next year.

Lindner said to the conservative newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, “I believe the planned net borrowing of 100 million euros next year is sufficient,”

Lindner said that it was crucial for the business-friendly Free Democrats to ensure the budget of their future coalition government meets “all the requirements regarding solidity”.

Lindner has been wrangling over Robert Habeck (Greens co-leader) about who is the finance minister and whether Berlin should make more public investments to accelerate the transition to a carbon neutral economy.

Two people who are familiar with coalition negotiations told Reuters the parties discussing increased federal borrowing to fund a large-scale, multi-billion dollar injection to the climate investment fund.

According to sources, parties are considering a proposal that would use the Constitution’s emergency clause as a debt brake rule, and allow for more borrowing than initially intended.

This plan would prevent parties from creating off-budget investments vehicles. These were originally proposed as an alternate idea to avoid debt limits. It also allows for more public investment, to accelerate the transition to a green economy.