The new CDU General Secretary, Franziska Hoppermann, rejects the plans proposed by Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) to enshrine heat protection and climate adaptation as a communal mandate within the Basic Law (Grundgesetz). Hoppermann told the “Rheinische Post” that, “A suggestion for a constitutional change like that is well-intentioned but ultimately achieves nothing substantively.” She stressed that climate adaptation and heat protection are responsibilities shared by the entire society. In her view, “This can only succeed if the federal government, the states, and the municipalities collaborate at eye level.” Hoppermann argued that changing the Basic Law would give the federal government new competencies and merely lead to new jurisdictional disputes, making it the wrong approach. Minister Schneider had previously announced his intention to submit a proposal for this constitutional amendment during the second half of the year.
Politics
