FDP stands in the way of climate efforts

The FDP agrees neither to the planned phasing out of combustion engines nor to Robert Habeck’s heating plans. The smallest governing party is thus blocking central climate protection measures.

In the traffic light coalition’s dispute over climate protection, the Greens have accused Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) of breaking the law. “Transport Minister Wissing is slipping deeper and deeper into illegality if his ministry is not finally working seriously on the implementation of the climate laws,” said the transport policy spokesman for the Greens parliamentary group, Stefan Gelbhaar, the editorial network Germany (Wednesday edition).

Among other things, Gelbhaar criticized Wissing’s threatened rejection of the EU’s plan to phase out combustion engines from 2035. “A minister should take the decisions of both the federal government and the EU institutions seriously,” demanded the Green politician.

Wissing, on the other hand, makes synthetic fuels – so-called e-fuels – a condition for German approval of the plans. The Brussels authority should make a corresponding regulatory proposal that allows combustion engines to be approved after 2035 if they can be shown to be fueled with synthetic fuels. Gelbhaar now pointed out that e-fuels “are not available in any relevant quantities now and in the foreseeable future”.

The FDP is also opposed to the heating plans of Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens). They want to prevent a possible ban on new gas and oil heating systems from 2024. “The FDP parliamentary group has no draft ban on oil and gas heating. It will not come to that either,” said the FDP parliamentary group leader in the Bundestag, Christian Dürr, the “Tagesspiegel” (Wednesday). He fears that the ban would further increase construction and rental costs.

“I think blanket bans are wrong – instead we should remain open to technology and ensure that classic heating systems can also be operated in a climate-neutral manner in the future,” said Dürr.

The construction and housing policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, Daniel Föst, made a similar statement. He told the “Augsburger Allgemeine” (Wednesday) that “a general ban on gas heating will hit many people hard and overwhelm them financially”. In addition, it is unnecessary – the gas infrastructure can also be used in a climate-neutral manner in the future, according to Föst, for example via hybrid heating and the use of hydrogen. “Slowing down these innovations would be the wrong approach.”

The construction and housing policy spokeswoman for the Greens, Christina-Johanne Schröder, defended the plans. “Every expanded gas or oil heating system, every energetic improvement makes us freer and our buildings more robust,” she told the “Tagesspiegel”. In addition, the installation ban had already been agreed, Schröder emphasized, referring to a decision by the coalition leaders in March 2022. “We are shaping the heat transition in a social manner,” said Schröder.

On Tuesday, the “Bild” newspaper reported on a draft ban on the installation of new gas and oil heating systems from 2024. They would be replaced by heating systems that are operated with at least 65 percent renewable energies. The economics and building ministries are working on a corresponding law. Details are still open.

In the coalition agreement, the SPD, Greens and FDP agreed that from 2025 every newly installed heating system should be operated with 65 percent renewable energy. In March 2022, the coalition leaders then agreed that “if possible” from January 1, 2024, every new built-in heating system should be operated in this way.

The exchange of heating is subsidized by the state. Economics Minister Habeck is aiming for such a high subsidy that people with a small budget are not prevented from renovating a house, installing a heat pump or removing gas burners. The SPD parliamentary group insists on taking hardship cases into account. In the building sector, Germany lags far behind the climate targets.