Green Party leader Felix Banaszak has issued sharp critiques of the draft legislation concerning the reform of the “Heating Law” proposed by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Katherina Reiche (CDU). He has appealed directly to the Social Democratic Party (SPD), urging them not to support the draft. Speaking to “Politico”, Banaszak stated that if even a single SPD member raises their hand in support of what he described as an “irresponsible mess” the SPD’s credibility on climate issues would be entirely destroyed. Nevertheless, he expressed hope that climate-conscious voices would emerge within the SPD parliamentary group.
Banaszak contends that the ruling coalition (Schwarz-Rot) is jeopardizing the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2045 with these reform plans. He asserts that the overall narrative-which suggests the coalition is committed to meeting climate targets-is misleading. According to Banaszak, the law will actually increase supplementary costs while undermining climate goals. He attributes this fundamental flaw to the fact that the draft makes no provision for banning fossil fuels after 2045. Given these details, he argues that the initiative represents “teardown” rather than a genuine “heat transition”.
Furthermore, the Green Party Chairman pointed out that only oil and gas corporations stand to benefit from this legislation. He warned that the draft effectively extends the business model of these companies for decades, diverting attention from the global shift toward electrification. He concluded that the measure causes Germany to abandon its claim to technological leadership, creating instead chaos in heating planning and infrastructure, and permanently solidifying new dependencies on imported fossil fuels.
