“Coalition factions have agreed that it will stay that way”
The traffic light heating law will probably not be passed until September. The Union demands a restart. Nina Scheer, the SPD parliamentary group spokeswoman on climate and energy policy, says at WELT: “We have already announced that at some point we will have another amendment to the energy law.”
Dhe SPD Prime Ministers Manuela Schwesig, Dietmar Woidke and Stephan Weil have expressed dissatisfaction with the traffic light coalition in view of the disputes surrounding the heating law. It is “very unfortunate that the whole issue of climate protection has been damaged,” Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Prime Minister Schwesig told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. The AfD uses “frustration and uncertainty as a major mobilization issue”. Brandenburg’s head of government, Woidke, said that politicians must “take people with them” when it comes to climate protection.
According to surveys, the AfD is currently the most popular party in both Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg, with 28 to 29 percent approval, as in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. In Thuringia, a recent survey even puts the AfD at 34 percent.
Many citizens are very worried about what is to come as a result of the heating law, said Schwesig. There is a risk that the right-wing populists will use the issue to mobilize in future elections. The federal government must now use the postponement of the vote on the law, which has now been forced by the Federal Constitutional Court, to “explain what is specifically decided,” demanded Schwesig.
Woidke said that when it comes to climate protection, it must be clear at an early stage what is planned and that nobody will be overwhelmed financially. This must be “the guideline for all further projects”.
In the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (NOZ), the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Weil, demanded that the government act as one. Many people are currently “highly dissatisfied” with politics and are therefore looking for an outlet for their displeasure – which is “all too often the AfD”. Above all, the “inadequate preparation” for the heating law was the cause of damage.
After the heated arguments about climate policy in the second half of the legislative period, the federal government wants to focus on economic and social policy issues. It is particularly important for employees “that we continue to strengthen collective bargaining agreements,” SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich told the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”. The coalition will also “ensure that the pension contribution rate does not rise above 20 percent and at the same time secure the minimum pension level at 48 percent”.
“Kick-off” is WELT’s daily news podcast. The most important topic analyzed by WELT editors and the dates of the day. Subscribe to the podcast at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or directly by RSS feed.
