Re-elected as Chairperson of the Climate Union - Union member Heilmann retains position as chair following another round of elections within the Climate Union organization.
Thomas Heilmann, long-standing member of the Berlin CDU, has been re-elected as the chair of the Climate Union. The Climate Union, an association connecting CDU and CSU members advocating for climate-neutrality policies, appointed Heilmann in 2022.
The lawyer, who served as deputy chairman of the Berlin CDU from 2009 to 2017, senator for justice from 2012 to 2016, and as a CDU member of the Bundestag from 2017 to 2025, received 91.3 percent of the votes in this past federal board election in Mannheim, as announced by the Climate Union.
In 2023, Heilmann gained national attention for challenging the accelerated heating law of the traffic light government before the Federal Constitutional Court. Prior to the 2021 federal election, he put forth his climate policy proposals under the "Green Zero" title, suggesting a higher carbon price and enhanced approval procedures for renewable energies.
Speaking in Mannheim, Heilmann emphasized the importance of effective climate policy under a CDU-led government and the defense of the European emissions trading system. He called on Germany, Ursula von der Leyen, and Friedrich Merz to ensure that the climate protection question is not misjudged at this critical juncture.
Wiebke Winter, a member of the CDU federal board, was confirmed as Heilmann's deputy with 95.7 percent of the votes. Established in 2021, the Climate Union boasts over 1,000 members, including approximately two dozen parliamentarians from the European Parliament, the Bundestag, and various state parliaments.
Thomas Heilmann's "Green Zero" policy platform emphasizes a higher carbon price and streamlined approval processes for renewable energy, aligning with broader climate policy goals to achieve net-zero emissions. The EU ETS plays a crucial role in the European Union's climate policy, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through emissions caps and tradable allowances. Heilmann's stance on the EU ETS is not specified in the available information.
His affiliation with the Climate Union, however, indicates that Heilmann is involved in climate-related discussions within the German political sphere. The Union prioritizes pro-climate policies and initiatives, in accordance with the CDU's commitment to taking action on climate change. Germany has been actively engaged in climate policy discussions, including the effort to embed climate neutrality targets in the nation's constitution and achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045.
- The Commission is proposing to increase the number of Member States' national programmes for the period 2000-06, which includes initiatives like Thomas Heilmann's proposed higher carbon price and streamlined approval processes for renewable energy, a key part of his "Green Zero" policy platform.
- Heilmann's focus on effective climate policy under a CDU-led government aligns with the EU's broader environmental-science policies, such as the European Union's climate policy initiative, the European emissions trading system (EU ETS).
- As a long-standing member of the Berlin CDU and the chair of the Climate Union, Heilmann is actively involved in climate-change discussions, emphasizing the importance of political decisions and policy-and-legislation in addressing environmental issues, a general news topic of significant importance.
