Sail Away, Kubicki Takes Aim at Habeck's Heating Law Woes
As the waves lap against the side of the "Europa 2," a luxury cruise ship docked in Florida, FDP Vice-Chancellor Wolfgang Kubicki (71) is enjoying a well-deserved break, thousands of nautical miles away from the current German government crisis. And yet, his voice still carries weight in the ongoing debate around the country's budget chaos and the controversial "heating law."
In an interview with journalist Sabine Christiansen off the Caribbean coast, Kubicki was asked about the budget turmoil and the "damn heating law." His answer was straightforward: "We'll manage to scrap the Heating Act because there's no money left for municipal heating planning. Municipal heating planning is the foundation of the GEG (Heating Act), and it's so bureaucratically convoluted that nobody knows how to apply it. I couldn't be more relaxed about it."
Christiansen pressed further, asking if the FDP would be in favor of overturning the heating law. Kubicki, still in a jovial mood, replied: "We would have been in favor of not implementing it in the first place. Now we have to realize that we don't have the means to implement it."
Funding Fiasco: A Hammer Announcement
The interview took a more serious turn when Kubicki dropped the hammer: "Robert Habeck announced a funding guideline of 27,000 euros per heating system just one day before the Federal Constitutional Court ruled against it."
After the court's ruling, Habeck was left scrambling to find the necessary funding for the heating law. Kubicki noted that this revelation made it clear that there would be no funding for the legislation, and he concluded, "So let's say: it has to go now. Or Habeck has to go."
Kubicki goes all in on Habeck
Christiansen followed up, asking if Habeck should indeed resign. Kubicki, with an icy demeanor, responded, "Yes!" effectively calling for Habeck's resignation as the FDP's coalition partner.
Traffic Light Strife after Karlsruhe Ruling
Kubicki's comments highlight the growing tension within the 'traffic light' coalition following the Karlsruhe ruling and the suspension of the debt brake for 2023.
Green party leader Omid Nouripour praised Christian Lindner's announcement of a supplementary budget and the associated suspension of the debt brake during the party conference in Karlsruhe on Thursday. However, the controversy over the heating law and its associated costs remains a contentious issue in German politics.
Natural Gas Prices and Energy Sources
The ongoing debate about heating costs has brought up concerns about the high cost of natural gas and the goal of transitioning to more affordable and environmentally friendly energy sources. Despite his time off, Kubicki maintained his criticism of Habeck's policies.
Enrichment Data:
The Building Energy Act, officially known as the GEG, has been in effect in Germany since early 2024, requiring newly constructed residential buildings to use heating systems powered by at least 65% renewable energy sources. Larger cities will need to comply by 2026, with smaller communities given until 2028 to meet the requirements.
Wolfgang Kubicki and the FDP have been critical of the law but have not explicitly called for its scrapping. Instead, they advocate for low-emissions heating solutions and the use of emissions trading as a means to make heating with oil or gas more expensive.
The heating law has been a source of contention in German politics due to the controversial nature of the measure and the cost implications for both the government and citizens.
([1][4] Source: )
