Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) has called for a continued expansion of renewable energy, emphasizing that the speed at which Germany moves away from fossil fuels is a key question of sovereignty and supply security. He says wind and solar power are absolutely priority, describing renewables as “security energies”.
Schneider insists there will be no general halt to the rollout of renewables; he added, “On the contrary, we will keep expanding solar and wind capacities”. A recent draft from the Ministry of Economic Affairs proposing reforms to the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) – including measures that would slow the installation of solar panels on private homes – has not yet received cabinet or Bundestag approval, and Schneider notes the reforms are far from finished.
Turning to housing, Schneider promised amendments to the upcoming Building Energy Act (“heating law”). He warned that tenants must not be left with higher heating costs because landlords install gas or oil boilers. The parliamentary groups of the Union and SPD had reached an agreement on the law a few days earlier, but after public criticism of the draft, several SPD politicians demanded stronger protections for tenants.
Finally, Schneider stated that by March 25 he must publish the federal climate‑protection programme, detailing how Germany will have cut at least 65 % of CO₂ emissions from 1990 levels by 2030. “We must and will reach our climate goals” he affirmed.
