What next for the subject of the heating law? The Greens accuse the FDP of breaching its word and are pushing for the law to be passed quickly. The Liberals oppose it.
According to the FDP, the controversial heating law can take effect next year despite the delay in the Bundestag. “In order for the law to come into force in 2024, it is enough if we pass it in October,” MP Reinhard Houben told the editorial network Germany in advance. “The climate change will not fail if the law is not passed before the summer break.”
Group leader Christian Dürr made a similar statement. “In the end, it doesn’t depend on the day it comes into effect,” Dürr told Welt TV, according to the announcement. It is crucial that it becomes a good law – regardless of whether it is January 1st or February 28th, 2024.
Because the FDP is blocking the law in its planned form, the project will no longer be discussed in parliament this week. However, there are still three weeks of meetings before the summer break.
SPD: Adoption possible until the summer break
Despite the inner-coalition dispute, the parliamentary director of the SPD parliamentary group, Katja Mast, believes that it is feasible for the Bundestag to pass it before the summer break. With a “constructive attitude” on the part of the traffic light partners, this can be done by the start of the parliamentary summer break, Mast said on Deutschlandfunk. Until then, there are still a good six weeks left for proper parliamentary deliberation. One shouldn’t leave people in the dark for too long, warned Mast. She pointed out that in the current week specialist politicians and also the deputy parliamentary group leaders are still exchanging views on the subject.
CDU Vice President Andreas Jung criticized the postponed deliberations in the ARD “Morgenmagazin”: “You cannot agree with the procedure. There is a draft law from the federal government. And the traffic light groups prevent it from being discussed in the Bundestag. That’s where it belongs but go”. Following a motion by the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, the Bundestag wants to deal with the topic in a current issue today.
Merz: “to put an end to chaos”
Union faction leader Friedrich Merz asked Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on Tuesday to put an end to the chaos. SPD general secretary Kevin Kühnert defended the role of chancellor on “RTL/ntv-Frühstart”: “The chancellor can’t ensure that with a word of power or something similar, but some people have to jump over their political shadow.” At the same time, Kühnert warned the Greens against slowing down projects as a reaction to the actions of the FDP. “The questions that lie ahead of us are too urgent for us to play hide-and-seek with each other with draft laws,” said the SPD general secretary.
According to the draft adopted by the Federal Cabinet, from 2024 onwards every newly installed heating system should be operated with 65 percent green 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. The law is considered an important component of the plan to make Germany climate-neutral by 2045.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
