(Bloomberg) -- Germany’s Green Party has given up its fight within Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition for stricter measures that would enable the country to meet its ambitious climate goals in the transport sector.

In an interview with Zeit Online, Economy Minister and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck from the Green Party did not bother to hide his frustration with the outcome. 

“I’m not giving away any secrets when I say that the measures agreed on there will in no way enable Germany to meet its climate targets in the transport sector,” Habeck said in the interview.

After suffering back-to-back defeats this week at the hands of their partners in the ruling coalition, the Greens ultimately ceded ground on climate protection measures and agreed to a possible carve-out for Germany within the European Union’s proposed combustion engine ban.

As part of the jumbo policy accord, the Social Democrats, Greens and pro-business Free Democrats decided to water down a plan that the environmentalist party had pushed to ban oil and gas heaters. The coalition also gave its backing to 144 new highway projects.

The measures were the culmination of a torturous three-day negotiation which ended on Tuesday evening. 

Habeck added that Transport Minister Volker Wissing from the Free Democrats, the smallest party in the coalition — and the Greens’ frequent ideological adversary — very likely shares this assessment. “One result of the coalition committee is that in this government, nothing more will be achievable in the transport sector,” Habeck said. 

“Nevertheless, we have struggled to make progress on climate protection and have also achieved something. Every point is hard fought for. But it’s worth it.”

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