After fierce debate: German Bundestag approves heating law

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Rarely has a draft law been so criticized and created uncertainty in Germany: after long discussions, the German Bundestag has passed an amendment to the Building Energy Act with the majority of the traffic light coalition.

Parliament passed the controversial heating law on Friday after months of conflict. It should make an important contribution to more climate protection in buildings. 399 MPs voted in favor of the law, 275 against and 5 abstentions.

At least 65 percent renewable energy

The amendment to the Building Energy Act – the so-called Heating Act – aims to make heating in Germany more climate-friendly through the gradual replacement of oil and gas heating systems. The law still has to be passed by the Bundesrat at the end of September.

The core of the new energy law for buildings is that in the future every newly installed heating system must be based on 65 percent renewable energy. The law is expected to come into effect in early 2024, but will initially only apply to new areas of development. For existing buildings, the municipal heating planning must be the pivot, which must be established gradually.

Before the decision, there was a controversial and loud debate in the Bundestag. Economy and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck (54) defended the law against strong criticism from the opposition. He said: “I think it is justified to respond to this law with specific and concerned questions. What you shouldn’t get away with, though, is throwing sand in people’s eyes – saying we set goals, but we don’t do anything to achieve those goals.”

“making people poor”

The Union-led federal government has decided that Germany must be climate neutral by 2045. However, no concrete measures have been proposed, according to Habeck. Now that it is becoming concrete, millions of people are affected. He takes concerns very seriously. The law creates legal certainty, protects consumers against high energy prices and ensures social balance.

Green party leader Katharina Dröge (38) admitted mistakes. She said the coalition had been fighting hard with each other, too often in public – creating uncertainty among citizens that was unnecessary. Ultimately, however, there will be a joint solution with a concrete timetable for how climate-friendly heating will succeed everywhere.

There have been conflicts over the law for a long time. Mainly under pressure from the FDP, fundamental changes were made to the original design. Above all, the FDP emphasizes “openness to technology” – according to the motto: “The heating must suit the house and not the other way around.”

CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt (53) made serious accusations against the coalition. The planned future state aid is insufficient. “This law makes people poor.” He also criticized the fact that fundamental changes in the original bill were not sufficiently discussed.

FDP party leader Christian Dürr (46) replied that the opposition had had weeks to table amendments. On the other hand, group chairman Jens Spahn (43) of the Union called the law “madness” and a “populist stimulus program”. The coalition wants “air sovereignty over the boiler room”. Left party leader Dietmar Bartsch spoke of a communicative disaster. AfD MP Marc Bernhard (51) said the “warming hammer” had not been defused.

Prolonged conflict in traffic light coalition

The building energy law – also known as the heating law – should actually be adopted at the beginning of July and therefore before the start of the summer holidays. There had been conflicts within the traffic light coalition for some time. The coalition subsequently agreed on fundamental changes.

However, the Federal Constitutional Court stopped the adoption before the summer holidays. The court had expressed doubts about whether the rights of the deputies were adequately protected. CDU Member of Parliament Thomas Heilmann (59) had applied for a provisional ban due to the tight planning in the legislative process.

Heilmann criticized in the Bundestag on Friday that there had been no new meeting of the responsible Bundestag committee. In view of a pending court case, he had already said that he did not consider the latest reading in the Bundestag to be sufficient. If the government does not act, it would pass a formally unconstitutional law.

The opposition in the Bundestag failed on Tuesday with a motion to postpone a decision on the heating bill. She wanted another consultation in the relevant committee of the Bundestag and another hearing with experts. (SDA)

Source: Blick