renovations
Building ministries want to put pressure on the federal government for KfW funding
A new building complex for offices is being built in the Stuttgart district of Degerloch. The ministers of the federal states responsible for urban development, construction and housing are meeting for a digital conference of building ministers. Photo: Bernd Weißbrod/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
After the heavily criticized stop of the KfW grants for energy-efficient renovation, applications can be made again. How the funding will continue is unclear.
After the chaos surrounding the KfW grants, the federal and state building ministers want to discuss future funding for efficient buildings at their conference.
“Together with the new federal building minister, we will discuss, among other things, what state funding for climate-friendly building and renovation should look like in the future,” said the current chair of the building ministers’ conference, Baden-Württemberg’s Housing Minister Nicole Razavi (CDU).
“On the one hand, such a funding strategy must be long-term, because after the irritation caused by the KfW funding freeze, people urgently need planning security again,” said Razavi. On the other hand, the state requirements must also be affordable. “After all, it is the common goal of the federal and state governments to create more living space, especially more affordable living space.”
The Federal Ministry of Economics recently surprisingly announced that no new applications for the promotion of efficient buildings could be submitted to the KfW development bank. The reason given by the department was a flood of applications and additional costs in the billions. After vehement criticism, it was said that part of the requested funds should be paid.
Special meeting of the ministries of construction
The heads of department responsible for urban development, construction and housing in the federal states will now be digitally connected for a special meeting on Thursday. They then want to inform about the results at a press conference (2:15 p.m.).
The head of the conference of construction ministers called for the promotion of climate-friendly construction and renovation to get away from the “pure fixation on insulation”. That “doesn’t get us much further,” said Razavi. She calls for a system change. “In the future, the key control variable must be the greenhouse gas emissions caused by every building. Exactly how to reduce these emissions should be left to the ingenuity and commitment of people.” Maximum openness to technology would achieve the most for the climate.
Association: The federal government must close the funding hole
“400,000 new apartments per year, too long planning and approval times in the offices, authorities working in the same way,” said Tim-Oliver Müller, General Manager of the Main Association of the German Construction Industry, describing the challenges for the construction ministers. The federal states would have to support the goals of the federal government, especially in residential construction, facilitate simplified approval procedures and identify building land.
Axel Gedaschko, President of the Central Association of the Housing Industry GdW, said: “The federal government must act immediately and quickly close the funding gap for new construction and renovation.” In addition, the applications received by KfW but not yet approved would have to be processed very quickly. “Because with every additional day that passes without a secure funding situation, the government’s new construction and climate targets move further and further away.”