Berlin.
Economics Minister Habeck’s heating plans have caused a great deal of uncertainty. Now consumers can at least calculate.
“We have made the step into the future of heating,” the Chancellor said happily on his Twitter profile after the cabinet meeting. The ministerial round had previously decided on the rules for the replacement of gas and oil heating systems from 2024. Economics Minister Habeck was thus able to lay the basic structure of the Financial support present that homeowners can expect when they replace the old appliance with a more climate-friendly model.
The state covers 30 percent of the costs, in some cases even half. The Law also does not apply to welfare recipients and over 80-year-olds. This announcement will give many people a better night’s sleep – or at least give them the opportunity to calculate upcoming costs.
Heaters: Habeck are facing more fights
In the past few weeks, fears have been fueled that Habecks heating plans could cost some their homes or their retirement savings. This is to prevent the funding from the federal government. However, Robert Habeck did not exude Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s celebratory mood when he presented his plans alongside SPD Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz. The fighting over the past few weeks has been too fierce, and further clashes lie ahead.
Habeck was once considered the traffic light minister who, with a worried, crumpled face, was best able to explain the constraints and needs of government policy. Significantly better than the Chancellor. That was more than a year ago, at the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Since then, there have been crisis meetings after crisis meetings, and the Green politician seemed to become thinner with each one. In doing so, he lost Economy Minister also his ability to clearly explain the politics of the coalition.
Will Habeck push through the climate-friendly conversion with a crowbar?
Instead, Habeck made mistakes, tangled with his ambition to fight the acute energy crisis linked to the fight against climate change. In the population, he left the image of a politician who wants to force the climate-friendly conversion of living with the ideological crowbar in the shortest possible time – regardless of losses and solely at their expense.
But instead of asking the citizens about his politics, for the climate protection in the building sector and the replacement of gas heating systems, Habeck preferred to publicly complain about the state of the coalition. It crunches in the beams of the traffic light alliance. This was also evident on Wednesday immediately after the decision was taken on the heating plans in the federal cabinet: FDP boss and finance minister Lindner agreed to the plans, but at the same time put his opposition on record.
Linder wants to continue fighting the heating plans
The note written by Lindner is the clear combat mission to the FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Habeck’s plans for heating replacement to put it through its paces once again in the legislative process. On the one hand, the FDP expressly warns that the plans are affordable, on the other hand, the financial burden for homeowners and tenants should be as low as possible. When asked about these discrepancies in the coalition, Habeck seems at a loss. So there are still open questions.
Greater than the dispute with the FDP, however, is the task of the Minister of Economics to better explain and justify his policies State aid to secure. Because if he doesn’t take away people’s fear of the path to climate neutrality, he will lose them for this great task.
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