Felix Banaszak, the leader of the Greens, has sharply criticized the draft heating law reform proposed by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Katherina Reiche of the CDU, and has publicly called on the SPD not to approve the measure. Speaking to “Politico” Banaszak warned that if any SPD member supports what he calls “irresponsible nonsense” contained in the draft, the party’s credibility on climate issues will effectively be destroyed. He expressed hope that climate-conscious voices within the SPD parliamentary group would emerge.
Banaszak accuses the ruling coalition of endangering the goal of climate neutrality by 2045 with these reform plans. He suggests that the Black-Red coalition is claiming to uphold climate targets while, in fact, the new law will increase peripheral costs and compromise climate objectives. His primary objection revolves around the draft’s failure to establish a prohibition on fossil fuels after 2045. The Greens chairman controversially stated that this represents “demolition” rather than a genuine “heating transition”.
According to Banaszak, the only entities set to profit from these plans are oil and gas corporations. He criticized the proposed law for merely extending the business model of these companies by decades, contrary to the global trend toward electrification. By pushing this legislation, he argues, Germany abandons its claims of technological leadership, and the coalition risks creating chaos in heating planning and infrastructure while cementing new dependencies on imported fossil fuels.