A senior Green party official, Felix Banaszak, has accused the Chancellor’s Office of leaking an early draft of the heating bill, prepared by Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck, to the media. According to a report by the “Handelsblatt” Banaszak made these claims during a campaign event in Erfurt on Saturday evening.
During the event, Banaszak stated, “The Chancellor’s Office provided friendly support for our press work and the early draft of the building energy law, before a socially tiered subsidy could be agreed upon in the government, was sent to the Bild-Zeitung.”
The Bild article about the draft law in February 2023 sparked a heated debate within the federal government, with speculation that former Finance Minister Christian Lindner might have leaked the document. The paper was still in the “pre-coordination” stage, not intended for public release. Banaszak justified his claim by saying that the SPD allegedly wanted to harm Habeck. A government spokesperson denied this on request from the “Handelsblatt” calling the claims “nonsense.”
In Erfurt, Banaszak also discussed potential coalition talks after the federal election. He expressed concern that the Union might opt for the SPD as a junior partner instead of the Greens. “The SPD would always be cheaper to have” Banaszak said. “They would do everything to stay in government.” He openly stated that in this case, he would join the opposition: “As Greens, we know that you can achieve a lot from the opposition too.” However, he would do everything to prevent this scenario from unfolding.