Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) called for accelerated growth of renewable energies and stronger tenant protections in the upcoming heating‑law reform.
He said that “the speed with which Germany can become independent of fossil fuels is a central question of sovereignty and supply security” according to the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”. For him, expanding wind and solar power is an absolute priority, and he referred to renewables as “security energies”.
Schneider emphasized that there will be no general stop to expansion of renewable sources. “On the contrary, we will keep building capacity for sun and wind” he said. A draft coming from the Ministry of Economics last week proposes reforms to the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) that would slow the installation of solar panels on private homes. Schneider noted that the EEG reform still has to be approved by cabinet and parliament, claiming that “we are still far from the end”.
In the heating‑law overhaul, Schneider pledged improvements that would prevent tenants from being saddled with higher heating costs simply because landlords install new gas or oil boilers. Just days ago, the parliamentary groups of the Union and SPD reached an agreement on the law’s reform. After public criticism of the draft, several SPD politicians demanded tighter tenant protections.
By March 25, Minister Schneider must publish the federal climate‑protection program showing how Germany will cut at least 65 % of its CO₂ emissions compared to 1990 by 2030. “We must achieve, and we will achieve, our climate goals” he affirmed.