decision today
Greens warn FDP against heating law blockade
05/23/2023, 06:05 am
Will the Building Energy Act come before the summer break? The FDP parliamentary group considers the previous draft to be completely out of the question. SPD chairwoman Esken is still confident that a quick solution will be found – but within the group there is less optimism.
The Greens have warned the FDP not to put the building energy law on the agenda of the Bundestag this week. With a blockade, the FDP would show “that it is not primarily concerned with questions of content, but with profiling for its own sake,” said Parliamentary Director Irene Mihalic of the editorial network Germany. The decision on whether the bill will go to Parliament for the first reading this week is expected to be made today. If this does not happen, the probability that it will be adopted before the summer break decreases. In SPD faction circles it was said: “The chances are small. The FDP does not do it”.
The FDP parliamentary group is pushing for a completely new heating law and does not want to negotiate the existing draft in the Bundestag as planned. “A law that interferes so deeply with people’s freedom of choice cannot be discussed at a gallop,” said the Liberal spokesman on energy policy, Michael Kruse, to the “Tagesspiegel”. Fundamental changes are necessary. “Minister Habeck should therefore present a new draft based on the coalition agreement – and not on the Greens’ election program.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz had recently called for speed. Scholz expects “that the Bundestag will now discuss the draft law with the necessary thoroughness, but also quickly,” said his spokesman.
SPD leader Saskia Esken expressed confidence on RTL “Direkt” that the law will be passed by the beginning of July. It is now a question of creating clarity. Esken emphasized that the building sector currently accounts for more than 30 percent of all CO2 emissions in Germany. “We have to get better at that if we want to become climate-neutral.” The population can rely on “that we design this law in such a way that it is practicable,” Esken continued. People should “be able to afford what we ask of them.” She emphasized that tenants must be protected against high costs when replacing the heating system. “Excessive rent increases must actually be prevented. That means we will limit the apportionability of these investments.”