Big discussion announced
SPD parliamentary group wants follow-up funding for electric cars
December 19, 2023, 9:48 a.m
It’s an abrupt end: the federal government is stopping funding for electric cars at the weekend. CSU boss Söder speaks of a “setback”. The SPD parliamentary group is also dissatisfied. “We will still have to discuss a lot,” says parliamentary group vice-president Miersch and calls for a “transitional solution”.
After the end of electric car funding in Germany, the SPD parliamentary group is calling for follow-up funding. His group is fighting for a “transitional solution,” said deputy group leader Matthias Miersch in the ARD “Morgenmagazin”. Government support is necessary in mobility, but also in the building sector, in order to achieve climate policy goals. “We will definitely have to discuss a lot in the next few weeks.”
Miersch announced that the SPD parliamentary group would fight for such funding in the budget discussions in January, even though the federal government has announced its end. “We are self-confident parliamentarians,” he said. It is in the nature of things that the Bundestag can make corrections to the federal government’s package – this is also what happened in the long-controversial heating law by Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck of the Greens.
Miersch said he shared the skepticism of experts that with the bonus for electric cars that ended on Sunday, the goal of 15 million electric cars in Germany by 2030 can no longer be achieved. Therefore, follow-up funding must be created: “We need follow-up financing for many who cannot otherwise afford it.”
The Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder is also skeptical about the funding being discontinued at short notice. “When it comes to cars, you ask yourself why Mr. Habeck is implementing this so quickly. This is a setback,” said the CSU boss in the early start of ntv. “The Greens don’t want the combustion engine. Now they don’t want electric cars either. So Germany won’t make progress with just bicycles.”
Abrupt end to funding
On Saturday, the Federal Ministry of Economics, led by Robert Habeck, announced that applications for the environmental bonus could only be submitted the following Sunday. The abrupt end was justified in ministry circles by saying that money in the budget had become scarce. The background is the Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling on the federal debt brake. As part of their austerity program, the coalition leaders of the SPD, Greens and FDP agreed a few days ago to let state funding expire “soon”. They left the end date open.
Before the federal government had to correct its budget planning, it was planned to grant a purchase bonus for new cars of up to 4,500 euros until the end of the year. In addition, there was a half allowance from the manufacturer, i.e. up to 2250 euros. On January 1, 2024, the state premium should be reduced to 3,000 euros and then expire at the end of 2024. Now all of that is no longer applicable.