After a lawsuit, the construction of the Tesla factory near Berlin stands still. Even the Greens express criticism of the procedure. The CDU in Brandenburg now wants to change the right to sue for associations.
- Tesla's Giga factory is not well received by Brandenburg environmentalists.
- Protesters have climbed into the treetops.
- Now the Brandenburg state government hopes to be able to continue clearing.
Update at 10:14 p.m .: Tesla is allowed to continue clearing on the site of its planned factory in Grünheide near Berlin. The complaints of two environmental associations were rejected because the legal requirements for the work in Grünheide were met, the Higher Administrative Court Berlin-Brandenburg decided.
Update from February 20, 8:10 p.m .: Good news for Tesla : According to a report, the Green League Brandenburg failed after its complaint against the early clearing for the factory of the US electric car manufacturer with a comparison attempt . The Bild-Zeitung and the BZ from Berlin reported on Thursday that Green League boss Heinz-Herwig Mascher had wanted to withdraw the action against the grubbing-up if Tesla paid extensive compensation measures for the interference in nature . Negotiators confirmed the failure of the comparison to the German Press Agency.
Update from February 19, 1:58 pm: The clearing work for the construction of a Tesla factory near Berlin has stopped for the time being. The lawsuit now leads to fear in Brandenburg that the company could stop construction completely if the lawsuit delayed construction for more than half a year. Brandeburg's Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach (SPD) on Wednesday for the picture . “If we make them too difficult for too long, I would definitely see this risk. We are a bit nervous, ”said Steinbach.
Tesla construction could be delayed by half a year - but there is a Plan B from the Ministry of the Environment
The Higher Administrative Court is currently examining whether the pre-approval was legal. The SPD politician expects a decision this week and hopes that Tesla will then be able to continue clearing the land in the coming week. The problem, according to the report, is that tree felling work is no longer permitted in March because the breeding period will then begin. If the time window were missed, the Tesla construction would be delayed by half a year.
But the paper also reports on a Plan B from the Ministry of the Environment in Brandenburg , if the court upholds the construction freeze. With a special permit, clearing could also be possible after March. Although forestry law prohibits deforestation, there is the possibility of “forest conversion” in building law - but only with a special permit.
Tesla from Elan Musk builds near Berlin - "Green League" sues
Update from February 19: The clearing stop for the planned Tesla factory near Berlin also caused misunderstandings in the ranks of the Greens . Greens in the Bundestag faction, Oliver Krischer, accused the Green League of abuse of the right to bring collective actions . “Turning a pinewood plantation into a battlefield is absurd. That has nothing to do with nature conservation, ”said the member of the Bundestag. "It's a shame that some clubs are obviously less focused on nature and species protection than the fight against climate protection and energy transition and are abusing species protection law."
Berlin's Green Senator for Economic Affairs Ramona Pop made a similar statement. "You don't always have to be against everything, " she said on Tuesday. "How absurd to declare a pine plantation to be a forest," continued Pop. "You should leave the church in the village and make Tesla's future investment possible quickly."
Construction stop for Tesla factory in Grünheide in Brandenburg: Association sees itself in the right - Tesla builds fence
Brandenburg's CDU faction leader Jan Redmann, like the head of the Union's economic wing, proposed an amendment to the right to lodge a complaint for associations. "Perhaps one would have to limit the right to bring class actions to certain objections," said Redmann in Potsdam. He accused the Green League of abusing the right to sue.
Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) hopes that the planned factory by US electric car manufacturer Tesla near Berlin will be built quickly as a model for Germany. "The construction of the Tesla automobile plant in Brandenburg has been of great importance for more climate protection and one of the most important industrial settlements in the new federal states for a long time," Altmaier told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
The chairman of the environmental association, Heinz-Herwig Mascher, rejected the accusation. The associations' rights of action are covered by EU law, he told the German Press Agency. "We think very carefully about which processes we will start with," emphasized Mascher. "We want the process to be lawful." Mascher expects the OVG to make a decision this week.
Tesla is now building a fence around the site . The carmaker is currently not allowed to cut down trees, but the fence construction is permitted under the permission of the state forestry company as a still owner, said government spokesman Engels.
There is currently not only bad news for the American automaker, but also for the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus. He wants to cut more than 2,300 jobs. Germany will probably have the hardest meeting.
Clearing freeze for Tesla's gigafabrik near Berlin - environmentalists mobilize
Potsdam / Grünheide - The clearing of trees on the site of the planned factory of US electric car manufacturer Tesla is at a standstill - but the Brandenburg state government is optimistic about the continuation. "We will not let ourselves be put under pressure for the time being," said Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach (SPD) on Monday in Potsdam. He was convinced that the authorities had "done a good job" and the Higher Administrative Court (OVG) would recognize this in his decision. Otherwise, it will be checked whether the forest can also be cleared after the growing season has already started. The OVG had initially stopped clearing .
Despite the grubbing-up stop , environmentalists claim to be occupying trees on the site. Initially, two activists were on trees, a spokeswoman said on Monday. "We demand that the forest is not cut down, there is no room for concern because of the hasty clearing." An environmentalist has now climbed down from a tree , as a police spokesman said.
Tesla with gigafactory in Brandenburg: government hopes for grubbing up
The Brandenburg State Environment Agency approved the early start of clearing the site last Thursday. Final green light is pending. The Green League Brandenburg environmental association and the association for landscape conservation and species protection in Bavaria then attempted to stop the felling of trees with urgent applications to the Frankfurt (Oder) administrative court - to no avail. The OVG Berlin-Brandenburg then stopped the clearing of initially around 90 hectares on the Tesla site (OVG 11 S 8.20).
Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) commented on the case on Twitter. "I hope that there will be legal clarity about the work at the # Tesla location in # Grünheide so that the future investment in electromobility in Brandenburg can succeed," she wrote. “I am very confident that the intervention in the natural balance can be fully and well balanced. The energy transition and nature conservation must succeed together! "
I hope that there will be legal clarity about the work at the # Tesla location in # Grünheide so that the future investment in electromobility in Brandenburg can succeed. (1/2)
- Svenja Schulze (@ SvenjaSchulze68) February 17, 2020I hope that there will be legal clarity about the work at the # Tesla location in # Grünheide so that the future investment in electromobility in Brandenburg can succeed. (1/2)
- Svenja Schulze (@ SvenjaSchulze68) February 17, 2020From July 2021, Tesla plans to start production in Grünheide (Oder-Spree district) near Berlin and have 500,000 vehicles rolling off the assembly line each year. So far, it was planned that the forest should be cleared by the end of February if possible. Minister of Economics Steinbach assumes that the OVG will set the course for further clearing. But: "Should I be wrong (...), we will lose (time) in the order of three or four weeks," he said.
The OVG had stated that it could not be assumed that the Green League's request was obviously hopeless from the outset. According to the decision made on Saturday, objections could be raised until Tuesday, said Christiane Scheerhorn, spokeswoman for the higher administrative court. Then the court would decide promptly. She did not give an exact time.
The Cologne district court is meanwhile dealing with a lawsuit against the Munich comparison portal Check24. Plaintiff's allegation HUK Coburg: Misleading advertising.
Tesla in Brandenburg: clearing stopped for the time being
The president of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), Marcel Fratzscher, criticized excessive hurdles. "The Tesla case is symptomatic of an excessive, inefficient and complacent bureaucracy that is increasingly a brake on the prosperity and competitiveness of the German economy," said Fratzscher the "Handelsblatt". "Not only Tesla, but many German companies have long complained about too high hurdles for investment projects."
The chairman of the Green League Brandenburg , Heinz-Herwig Mascher, assured: "But we don't want to prevent Tesla." However, the company should not be treated differently. Steinbach rejected that there was special treatment for Tesla. "Only what (...) meets the rules of the game will be approved."
List of rubric lists: © picture alliance / dpa / Patrick Pleul
