Energy talk at “Hard but fair”: New heating law maybe not in summer

Energy talk at “Hard but fair”
New heating law maybe not in summer

By Marko Schlichting

The traffic light coalition is arguing about when the new heating law should be passed. Greens and SPD want to get it through the Bundestag before the summer break. The FDP is in less of a hurry. However, a new regulation is necessary in any case, emphasizes Dürr, the leader of the parliamentary group, on “Hard but fair”.

The chaos is perfect. The traffic light coalition is at odds as to whether the new heating law should be passed in the Bundestag before the summer break. It is unclear whether it will really come into force on January 1, 2024. In the meantime, it is no longer even certain that it will be discussed in the Bundestag for the first time this week. As of today, one thing is clear: the law should come at some point. Nobody knows exactly what will be regulated in the end. At least that’s the impression most viewers will have after the ARD program “Hart aber fair”. “This discussion is only useful for the AfD,” says the economic policy spokeswoman for the Union faction, Julia Klöckner, during the program. However, that doesn’t stop her from fueling the discussion again and again.

“Are all compliance rules observed now?”

In the Graichen case, too, it does not always seem credible when Klöckner accuses the Greens of climate lobbyism. After all, the former agriculture minister of the grand coalition was also suspected of dealing with the food industry.

But the case also troubles the Greens. The Deputy President of the Bundestag, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, finds it difficult to explain. “It makes little sense to deal with it afterwards,” she says at “Hart aber fair”, but immediately afterwards asks the question: “Are all compliance and transparency rules observed now?” Or, a little more understandable: The politician insists that all legal regulations are followed. “The Economics Ministry looks at it like no other. And that’s right,” says Göring-Eckardt. Nobody in the Ministry of Economics has enriched themselves, adds the Green politician. Nevertheless, she believes Minister of Economics Habeck’s decision to dismiss Graichen to be correct.

But the Habeck Ministry can’t get out of the negative headlines. The magazine “Business Insider” reported on State Secretary Udo Philipp. He is accused of having appointed a fund manager, in whose fund he owns shares, to an advisory board of the ministry.

“The Graichen case annoyed us enormously because there is a suspicion that posts were being given to each other,” Christian Dürr, FDP parliamentary group leader, criticizes the coalition partner. “This also annoys everyone in Germany, because the impression is created that politicians are concerned with themselves and not with the challenges facing the country,” adds Dürr.

“We urgently need a new law”

One of these challenges undoubtedly includes the heating transition in houses and apartments. This is regulated by the Building Energy Act, colloquially known as the “Heating Act”. “This is now being processed, discussed and decided very quickly in the parliamentary process,” Göring-Eckardt is certain.

“We urgently need a new building energy law,” agrees Dürr. With the previous law of the grand coalition, the German citizens would be driven into a cost trap. But that also applies to the current law when it comes to heat pumps and the conversion of houses. Dürr calls for even more energy openness and general financial support for the installation of new heating systems. “I think super-complicated funding that requires an income, asset or inheritance check is wrong.” Ultimately, this means that, in Dürr’s view, people with very high incomes should also receive money from the state when they install a new heating system. Dürr criticizes money that the Greens don’t even know where it comes from.

“They called themselves a progressive coalition. If I want a progressive coalition, then I want the old one back,” scoffs Klöckner. She accuses the traffic light coalition of wanting to bring an unfinished law into the Bundestag. “A new law is needed, and the Habeck Ministry has to redraft it,” she demands. Klöckner criticizes, for example, that people should only be released from the obligation to have a new heating system installed at the age of 80. “And what are the 79-year-olds doing?” ask her. More importantly, however, she wants the municipal heating plan to be in place first. Only then should the heating law come into effect, so that homeowners would have enough time to plan which new type of heating they want to install in their house. Until then, she would like to advise citizens against installing new gas heaters, but she does not want to ban it.

FDP faction leader Dürr also wants to postpone the law for the time being. He does not want to make a forecast as to whether it will go through the parliamentary process before the summer break.

Göring-Eckardt, on the other hand, is completely sure: “It makes sense that the law comes before the summer, so that people know in the summer what subsidies and what technical possibilities they have to prepare for. I think that’s really fair to the people .”

And the Greens would have an uncomfortable discussion topic off the table before the state elections in Hesse and Bavaria.

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