Updated:
Actually, the Building Energy Act should come through the Bundestag before the summer break. Renate Künast is now calling for a willingness to compromise.
Berlin – The debate about the new Building Energy Act (GEG) is raging not only between the government and the opposition, but also within the traffic light coalition. Especially the FDP and the Greens do not seem to come to a common denominator. One of the most prominent Green politicians, Renate Künast, is now admonishing her party to be able to compromise.
In the dispute over the draft, colloquially known as the “heating law”, Künast called for it in the discussion time online: “We have to get the GEG coordinated with the coalition partners, even if we find parts of it insufficient in the end.” She continued: “For me it is not ethical to have no vision. Equally, however, it is not justifiable not to make any compromises and thus prevent progress being made at least a little bit.”
Künast on the heating law: Draft was “not sufficiently well prepared”
Künast acknowledged the Greens’ communicative errors. “We have not sufficiently explained the necessity and the social motive for this law, and thus have not prepared the law sufficiently well,” she said. It failed to emphasize that the purpose of the law was to protect people from rising energy costs. Regarding the role of Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck, she said: “I think Robert is annoyed that he didn’t start it the other way around.”
Compared to the first red-green coalition at federal level, the relationship with the SPD in the traffic light coalition is more difficult, said Künast. “The way we deal with each other is different today, not cooperative enough.” She criticized Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). “Today it’s more like Olaf Scholz trying to get the best out of the three-man constellation.” Sometimes he makes sure that nothing moves. “This is also a type of intervention, but not a constructive one.”
Traffic light coalition: The Scholz cabinet at a glance
Traffic light coalition: The Scholz cabinet at a glance
Planned heating law: Federal government wants to create energy sovereignty
The traffic light coalition has been arguing about the amendment to the Building Energy Act for weeks. Negotiations continued over the weekend. Given the ongoing differences, it is unclear whether the law can be passed before the summer break as originally planned. Habeck recently criticized how his proposed law was being dealt with in public: “It was so loud. So aggressive. Everyone just yelled,” he said at the re:publica digital conference. Compared to the “campaign”, the fact-oriented policy was often at a disadvantage.
The aim of the much-discussed law is that from 2024 “every newly installed heating system should be operated with 65 percent renewable energy. Especially against the background of the Ukraine war, the federal government wants to learn from past mistakes and take a step towards energy sovereignty. However, the details of the law cause major conflicts between the parties. (AFP/LP)
#Habeck #annoys #Green #veteran #Künast #insight #heating #scandal #shoots #Scholz