Armand Zorn, the Deputy Spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, has refuted the accusation that the coalition’s agreement on the new heating law compromises climate protection in the building sector. Zorn stated that achieving climate neutrality in the building sector by 2045, and ensuring new constructions are climate-neutral starting from 2030, remains the goal.
According to the SPD politician, the current approach emphasizes providing residents with more freedom of choice while simultaneously strengthening both their responsibility for climate protection and tenant protections. He added that the compromise reached on the heating law is designed to generate planning certainty for tradespeople, property owners, and renters, which in turn is expected to increase public acceptance of climate protection measures.
Zorn also emphatically assured the public that the general Climate Protection Act remains in force. He cited the expert council for climate issues, which currently warns that the existing climate protection measures implemented by the federal government are highly unlikely to be sufficient to meet the established targets.
The controversy centers on new legislation proposed by CDU Economics Minister Katherina Reiche, which allows for the continued installation and operation of fossil fuel heating systems beyond 2045. Critics argue that this directly contradicts the established national Climate Protection Act, which mandates Germany reach climate neutrality by 2045, a target also noted in the Basic Law. Furthermore, these same critics point out that future European plans, specifically the European Emissions Trading Scheme for buildings and transport (EU ETS-2), make continued fossil fuel use after 2045 improbable due to the absence of new CO2 certificates.
In fact, even when initial framework agreements were reached, climate experts criticized the arrangement, noting that it would fail to meet the building sector’s climate targets as outlined in the main Climate Protection Act. The coalition has since responded by adjusting incentives for landlords using oil or gas heating: they will now be required to cover a portion of the operating costs after installing any new fossil-fueled heating systems.