Clear rejection of driving bans
Authorities accuse Wissing of “frightening” drivers
April 12, 2024, 4:10 p.m
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Federal Transport Minister Wissing warns of drastic cuts for drivers if the government does not agree on a reform of the climate protection law. The Federal Environment Agency disagrees and sees no need for driving bans. Instead, an old suggestion is repeated.
The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has contradicted Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing on the question of the need for driving bans due to the Climate Protection Act. “Of course we don’t need driving bans,” said the head of the authority, Dirk Messner, to “Spiegel”. “Such bans are not seriously discussed and scare people for no reason.” The federal government must indeed act quickly so that the transport sector meets the climate targets, Messner continued. “But that doesn’t automatically mean that there will suddenly be a risk of driving bans if we take climate protection in the transport sector seriously.”
On Thursday, Wissing called for approval of the reform in a letter to the leaders of the traffic light parties in the Bundestag. Otherwise there would be a risk of driving bans, it said. The FDP politician referred to calculations by the UBA, according to which around 22 million tons of CO₂ would have to be saved this year in order to achieve the climate goals in the transport sector.
“The traffic light is tearing itself apart again”
The transport sector has not complied with the requirements of the Climate Protection Act, which dates back to the grand coalition, for years. However, Wissing resisted measures such as a speed limit or an abolition of company car privileges. Instead, he and the FDP pushed for reform of the law. The traffic light brought its corresponding agreement to the Bundestag nine months ago, and the draft has been hanging there ever since.
Wissing’s threat had already caused new arguments among the traffic light parties. The Greens criticized the FDP politician for wanting to distract attention from his ministry’s poor climate protection record. The SPD accused him of unnecessary “scaremongering”. Party friends supported him and denounced the Greens’ blockade stance. “The traffic light is once again tearing itself apart,” commented CSU MP Ulrich Lange.
“It is not responsible for a minister to stir up unfounded fears,” said Green Party leader Katharina Dröge. “Instead, Volker Wissing should carry out his task and finally make sensible suggestions for more climate protection in the transport sector.” There are plenty of ideas, she explained. “Scaremongering through absurd suggestions does not help climate protection in the transport sector at all,” said SPD MP Detlef Müller of the Funke media group. “Such maneuvers will hardly advance the discussions on the climate protection law in the Bundestag.” FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai accused the Greens of deliberately blocking the amendment to the law in the Bundestag. They must “finally give up” this blockade, he told the news portal t-online. “There is no reason to wantonly delay the process any further.”
“Cheap sleight of hand”
Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), which sued for compliance with the Climate Protection Act, now sees its claim vindicated. “With his panic letter, Wissing admits that since taking office he has been violating the law and thus the obligation to take effective climate protection measures in the transport sector,” explained DUH boss Jürgen Resch. Wissing is obviously expecting a defeat in court. Painting driving bans on weekends on the wall is a “cheap sleight of hand,” Resch explained. “With this, the Automobile Minister Wissing is finally opening up a political debate about realistic and short-term possible other measures in the transport sector.
UBA boss Messner once again recommended the introduction of a speed limit on motorways. This alone could save a total of 38 million tons of CO₂ by 2030. “That’s around 20 percent of the existing gap.” The company car privilege is also a climate-damaging subsidy and should be abolished; this is also “overdue from a social perspective”.