The heating law is increasingly burdening the mood in the coalition. SPD parliamentary group leader Mützenich is annoyed by the FDP, which is delaying the legislative process. And he issues an ultimatum.
In the dispute over the planned heating law, the SPD parliamentary group leader, Rolf Mützenich, expressed his anger at what he saw as the braking behavior of the coalition partner, the FDP. “I regret that and it annoys me too,” said Mützenich im ARD morning magazine. This not only entails hours of discussion between the specialist deputies, “but it also annoys the parliamentary group leaders”.
“24 hours for approval”
The coalition originally wanted to introduce the draft law on plans to replace old oil and gas heating systems in the Bundestag this week. The FDP, however, is delaying the process and justifying this with the personnel upheavals in Robert Habeck’s Ministry of Economics, which made deliberations on the law more difficult.
The Liberals now have 24 hours to agree to the first reading of the law, said Mützenich and continued: “The FDP must be able to come to reliable consultations in the German Bundestag. You can’t do that outside of parliament. We’re in a coalition.”
Wissing demands “careful revision”
The FDP sees the criticism calmly and is sticking to its course. With the heating law, one saw what it means “if one tries to do climate protection with one’s head through the wall” – one loses the population in the process, said Transport Minister Volker Wissing yesterday in the Report from Berlin. You have to proceed in such a way that people are taken along and you need their trust, said the FDP politician.
He was in favor of the law being “carefully revised,” Wissing said. In addition, communication needs to be improved. Apparently, the procedure so far has led to “considerable irritation” and resistance from the population, which is “the worst thing that can happen to you”. People shouldn’t be overwhelmed.
Klingbeil: “There will be changes”
The draft law that has already been passed by the Federal Cabinet stipulates that from 2024 onwards every newly installed heating system should be operated with 65 percent renewable energy. This should apply to all owners up to the age of 80. Existing oil and gas heating systems can continue to be operated, and broken ones can be repaired. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the switch should be cushioned socially by funding.
At least there seems to be a consensus in the coalition that there must be changes to the draft law before it can be passed in Parliament. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil mentioned, for example, the protection of tenants, the age limit of 80, social graduations and the expansion of municipal heating networks. You can also talk about the transition periods, said Klingbeil also on the show Report from Berlin.
Scholz sees no fundamental need for change
The SPD leader spoke of a “heated debate” to which politics had contributed. “The uncertainty is great,” admitted Klingbeil. You want to make sure that nobody feels abandoned: “No one is left behind, everyone is taken along.”
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz thinks improvements to the bill are conceivable, but no major changes are to be made in the core. In an interview with n-tv and RTL, Scholz said that the Bundestag is now looking at whether the law can be made more precise at one point or another.
The largest opposition faction in the Bundestag still does not believe in the traffic light plans. The deputy leader of the Union faction, Jens Spahn, said in an interview with the BR, In his view, the coalition is rushing to tackle the heating law. “It’s like saying: From January 1st, only electric cars will be sold in Germany,” says Spahn – regardless of whether the infrastructure is there or you can afford it.
Climate researcher considers debate to be politically motivated
Meanwhile, climate researchers urge politicians to hurry. Mojib Latif, senior professor at the Institute for Oceanography at the University of Kiel, considers the debate on the Building Energy Act to be primarily motivated by party politics. For example, the population’s fears of financial overload are sometimes deliberately fueled or used to block the heat transition, Latif tells the editorial network Germany. At the end of the day, this blocks the path to climate neutrality.”
Latif fears that if the Building Energy Act is postponed or doesn’t happen at all, Germany runs the risk of “falling short of its climate targets”. “That would be a disaster for Germany’s credibility on the international stage.” When it comes to reducing CO2 emissions and switching to renewable energies, there are three areas: electricity, heat and transport. “We’re good at electricity. We’re not so good at heat. And we’re really bad at traffic.”
With information from Mario Kubina, ARD capital studio