Coalition not under control?
Scholz's "power word" has so far been half gone - the association sounds the alarm
Created: 01/16/2023, 12:05 p.m
By: Florian Naumann
Traffic light Zoff?
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (centre) speaks to ministers Robert Habeck (left) and Christian Lindner.
© IMAGO/IPON
In October, Olaf Scholz spoke a "word of power".
Apparently it didn't do much: Nuclear power plants are still a controversial issue.
And part two of the package is stuck.
Berlin/Munich – The FDP and Greens probably did not “order” this type of “leadership”: Olaf Scholz (SPD) delivered in October as strictly as no Chancellor before him: In writing, Scholz spoke a “word of power” in the nuclear power dispute by virtue of the authority to issue guidelines traffic light coalition.
A quarter of a year later, the assessment of the consequences is at least conflicting.
The cabinet then quickly decided to continue operating the nuclear power plant.
However, the Greens and Liberals are still grappling with the future of the kiln after the end of March, such as
kreiszeitung.de
reported.
And the compensation provided by Scholz for the Greens in the chancellor's word of power is still stuck between the ministries three months later: the energy efficiency law is still a bone of contention.
A business initiative and Munich environmental experts are worried.
Traffic light dispute: Scholz' "power word" half gone?
Business alarm
"The federal government continues to waste a lot of time unnecessarily - and risks serious social and economic upheavals," said Christian Noll, Executive Director of the Energy Efficiency Business Initiative (DENEFF), on Monday (January 16).
According to the group, 220 companies belong to it.
They have economic interests in efficiency measures - such as the window manufacturer Schüco or the company Danfoss from the heating sector.
But Noll also referred to a much larger argument: "everything must be done to reduce consumption for the next winter".
A gas bottleneck seems to have been averted for spring 2023.
The problems could celebrate a comeback next winter.
The Energy Efficiency Act should actually ensure a partial solution in the medium term.
According to a report by the
Handelsblatt
, Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) presented a draft less than 24 hours after Scholz's word of power - it had probably been ready for some time: the portal quoted in May 2022
Business Insider
from a 99-page paper in which key points were found.
So far, however, nothing has been approved.
Almost three months later, the plans are still being coordinated by the departments.
It is obvious that there is still a crunch between the FDP and Green ministries.
Habeck's Greens and Lindner's FDP back in the clinch despite the chancellor's word of power?
There was one or the other water level recently.
But probably not a breakthrough: Habeck announced at the beginning of January that an energy efficiency law was in the works.
The hanging game could indicate that "there is another lobby group with particular interests to be complimented out the door again," speculated
Deutschlandfunk
in a recent comment.
Details are not known.
In October, however, the
Tagesspiegel
and the
Südwest-Presse
, among others , reported that the FDP in particular had reservations about the law.
From the chambers of industry and commerce it was said that in addition to Christian Lindner's Ministry of Finance, the SPD-led Ministry of Construction also had objections.
After Scholz's word of power, the liberals had actually assured that they would carry the "total package".
In any case, Habeck's plans provide for very precise specifications, especially for the economy.
The telecommunications association Bitkom, among others, warned of "location weakening" due to new rules for data centers.
Robert Habeck's draft for the Energy Efficiency Act - some key points
New goals:
The consumption of energy sources, but also the "final energy consumption" of industry, households and trade should be reduced.
The draft law provides specific figures for this.
Audits (examinations):
Companies with an energy consumption of more than 2.5 gigawatt hours should carry out an "energy audit".
Waste heat:
Companies should generally use the waste heat that occurs.
Data centers:
Among other things, “energy efficiency standards” and mandatory use of waste heat.
Costs:
The plans will not be implemented free of charge - the draft bill from October speaks of one-off costs of 353.3 million euros and annual costs of 982 million euros for the economy.
However , the
newspaper for municipal economy
also pointed out the resulting savings in energy costs.
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Scholz' brawlers apparently still at odds on energy efficiency - "Can't wait any longer"
Leonard Burtscher, consultant for energy and climate policy at the Munich Environment Institute, called for movement on Monday: Only with permanent savings can we succeed in “reducing energy costs in the long term, covering our energy needs with fewer imports and in an environmentally friendly way and complying with the Paris climate goals,” he explained .
"We can't wait any longer for the law to increase energy efficiency!"
It cannot be ruled out that further misery will follow: as early as October, the portal
euractiv.org
reported that the German energy efficiency law could fall short of a new EU directive.
The draft from Habeck's ministry concedes that this risk is "consciously accepted".
If necessary, one will have to readjust “in a subsequent amending law”.
Of course, this does not speak for overly high goals.
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