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BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Not for years has a session of the Federal Council been as exciting as this one. Even early on Friday morning, it was still not entirely clear what the position of the Upper House would be on the two central issues, the Growth Opportunities Act and the Cannabis Act. In the end, the traffic light coalition was able to breathe a sigh of relief - the federal states allowed both laws to pass. They proved to be more unwieldy when it came to other federal bills. The most important decisions at a glance:

Cannabis legalization

As of April 1, the possession and cultivation of cannabis will be permitted for adults with numerous requirements for personal consumption. Despite many points of criticism, there was no majority in the state chamber to send the law to the mediation committee of the Bundesrat and Bundestag, thus putting the brakes on it for the time being. In principle, possession of up to 25 grams of cannabis for personal use is to be legal for adults aged 18 and over. Growing three cannabis plants in one's own home and up to 50 grams of cannabis for personal consumption should be permitted. Smoking weed in public spaces should be prohibited in schools, sports facilities and within sight of them - specifically within 100 meters of the entrance as the crow flies. In order to prevent the law from failing, the federal government had recently promised to amend some regulations retrospectively. The criticism from the federal states mainly concerned the amnesty regulation for people who have been sentenced to prison or fines for cannabis offenses in the past, which will no longer be punishable in the future. Tens of thousands of court files and judgments now have to be reviewed nationwide.

Growth package

After months of wrangling between the federal and state governments, the Bundesrat approved the billion-euro growth package of the traffic light government on Friday, which includes tax relief and a reduction in bureaucracy for companies. The Bundesrat had initially put the brakes on the so-called Growth Opportunities Act and sent it to the mediation committee with the Bundestag. There, the volume was reduced from the planned 7 billion euros to 3.2 billion euros per year. The law nevertheless remained controversial because the CDU/CSU wanted to finance part of its costs by cutting subsidies for agricultural diesel. CDU leader Friedrich Merz welcomed the fact on Friday that the federal government had promised relief for farmers in other areas. However, the burden on German farmers is still too high and must be reduced to the European level.

Quality atlas for hospitals

A planned law for more transparency in hospital treatment was passed by the Bundesrat at the second attempt, after it had also been sent to the mediation committee in November. The new "transparency directory" is expected to be launched on May 1 as an interactive portal providing comprehensible information on services and treatment quality at 1,700 hospital locations nationwide. Data on case numbers, i.e. treatment experience, staffing ratios for specialists and nurses as well as complication rates for selected procedures will be available. The law also provides for several regulations to strengthen the liquidity of hospitals. Critics of the law, such as Bavaria's Health Minister Judith Gerlach (CSU), called on the federal government to quickly provide financial aid for hospitals so that they are not "overwhelmed by an uncontrolled wave of bankruptcies".

Expansion of the rail network

For the time being, the federal states have put a stop to the Federal Rail Infrastructure Expansion Act, which forms the basis for improving Deutsche Bahn's rail infrastructure. The company wants to renovate and modernize thousands of kilometers of track in the coming years, especially on the high-speed ICE routes. The federal states are not at all opposed to this. However, they are demanding that the federal government should share the costs of the rail replacement services required on such routes during the construction period. They are also demanding that the railroads modernize not only the main lines, but the entire network. Routes in rural areas are already run down. The situation must not be allowed to deteriorate any further. The Bundesrat therefore sent the law to the mediation committee.

Online Access Act 2.0

Another failure for the federal government: the new Online Access Act (OZG 2.0) cannot come into force for the time being because the Federal Council refused to give its approval. According to the traffic light coalition, the law is intended to promote the digitalization of the administration and ensure greater data protection. The law relates to the federal administration, but is also intended to have an impact on the federal states and local authorities. It provides for the federal and state governments to develop standards in a joint committee over the next two years that are binding for all parties involved. This is also intended to prevent multiple software developments in the administrations to solve the same problem. The traffic light coalition also wants the infrastructure for a digital citizen account to be concentrated on the central federal account (federal ID) rather than being offered several times.

Introduction of biodiesel

The Federal Council gave the green light to a federal government ordinance on the introduction of biodiesel. So-called paraffinic diesel fuels, which are produced from waste materials and plant oils, will thus also be approved as a pure fuel. Until now, they could only be blended with conventional diesel. According to the new regulation, they may also be offered in 100 percent concentration in future. As biodiesel produces less CO2 than conventional diesel, this should also contribute to climate protection. However, the extent to which the new fuel will be available in future is questionable.

Ticket tax, citizen's income and agricultural diesel

The federal states cleared the way for several measures to consolidate the 2024 federal budget, such as the gradual abolition of tax benefits for farmers for agricultural diesel, which was one of the central points of contention in the growth package. The ticket tax for passenger flights is to be increased. In addition, the corresponding budget financing law provides for stricter rules for citizens' benefits: Job centers are to be able to completely cancel the citizen's allowance for the unemployed for a maximum of two months if those affected persistently refuse to take up work. The measures are intended to close funding gaps that arose from the Federal Constitutional Court's budget ruling last November./jml/sk/sam/jr/tam/hrz/jgl/abc/DP/men