BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – Chancellor Olaf Scholz has defended the heating law planned by the coalition against criticism. The law will be examined in all directions in the Bundestag with a single goal: “No one should be overwhelmed and have to do something that he or she cannot afford,” said the SPD politician to the broadcaster Antenne Bayern, according to a statement dated Sunday. The current version is quite different from a draft bill that has not been discussed to the end.
The plans of the traffic light coalition envisage that from the beginning of 2024 every newly installed heating system will be operated with at least 65 percent green energy. The switch is to be socially cushioned by state funding. There should also be transitional periods and hardship regulations. However, the FDP calls for fundamental changes.
Representatives of the coalition continued to discuss the dispute over the weekend. The coalition leaders had agreed to pass the law before the summer recess in the Bundestag. The summer break begins after July 7th. The Bundestag will meet again next week. The agenda needs to be finalized on Tuesday.
Criticism of the heating plans comes from the coalition itself, but also from the opposition. The Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) took part in a demonstration against the law in Erding near Munich on Saturday. / hrz / DP / he