Originally, the Heating Act was supposed to have special rules for people over 80. These are now apparently deleted from the traffic light. Green parliamentary group leader Dröge defended the Bundestag procedure for the amendments.
In the planned heating law, the traffic light factions have deleted an originally planned special rule for over 80-year-olds. FDP parliamentary group deputy leader Carina Konrad told the German Press Agency: “The proposed age limit of 80 years would not be constitutionally acceptable. With targeted funding and a special social component, we ensure that social hardship is cushioned. In addition, it is a KfW program the opportunity to take advantage of low-interest loans.”
Special rules should apply to over 80-year-olds
In the original draft law it was planned: For owner-occupiers of buildings with up to six apartments that are older than 80 years, in the event of a heating breakdown – i.e. if a broken heating system can no longer be repaired – the obligation to charge a heating system with 65 percent installing green electricity.
After a long struggle, the coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP had agreed on significant changes to the draft law. “Through the fundamental changes to the original draft law, we ensure that we achieve climate protection in the building sector in an economically reasonable and socially balanced way,” said Konrad.
Interest subsidized credit programs
Her Greens colleague Andreas Audretsch said: “We want all homeowners to be able to switch to climate-neutral heating systems.” For this there is the income bonus in the subsidy, which reaches all people with small to medium incomes. The subsidy is up to 70 percent of the investment. “There will be low-interest loan programs for the remaining costs. These are also open to everyone who cannot get credit on the regular market – including many older people with smaller pensions.”
However, a general hardship clause continues to apply, said Audretsch. “Anyone who cannot meet the requirements of the Building Energy Act – whether due to personal circumstances or technical building features – can apply to be released from the obligations. This applies regardless of age.”
Dröge: “Normal procedure”
Meanwhile, the leader of the Greens parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Katharina Dröge, confirmed that the amendments would be tabled quickly in the Bundestag so that the law could pass Parliament before the summer recess. With regard to complaints from the Union that there is not enough time to read the legal texts, Dröge said in common Morning magazine from ARD and ZDFthere was an absolutely orderly legislative procedure: “We had a first reading, we had a specialist hearing and even decided that there would be a second specialist hearing. And then the second and third reading – that’s completely the usual procedure, that the Bundestag provides.”
The scope of the amendments is within normal limits. In addition, these would be marked so that the members of parliament would not have to study the entire text of the law. “If you write down a long law, but say: The first ten columns remain unchanged and then there is an amendment in the eleventh – and we also make that clear at the point – then of course you read it through as a member of parliament. We are all like that used to doing that.”
No law had been discussed so widely for months. In addition, the changes had already been discussed in the first hearing. The opposition therefore had enough time.