According to reports citing government and coalition circles, Lars Klingbeil, the Minister of Finance for the SPD, appears to be halting several energy laws proposed by the Minister of Economic Affairs, Katherina Reiche, of the CDU, during internal government discussions. These reports indicate that Klingbeil has voiced reservations regarding several core plans, including the building modernization law (the “heating law”), the strategy for power plants to build new gas facilities, revisions to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), the grid package, and the federal supply plan. Environment Minister Carsten Schneider of the SPD has also registered some concerns. The SPD sources suggest that these roadblocks are because Reiche’s proposals limit the expansion of renewable energy sources too severely. However, the CDU considers this blockade unfounded. Economy policy expert Tilman Kuban of the CDU told the “Handelsblatt” that “it is time for the SPD to drop its blocking stance and prioritize the affordability of energy in the interest of the public”. Similarly, Andreas Lenz, the economic policy spokesperson for the CSU, stated, “The SPD and SPD’s associated parties are applying the brakes, and at various points”. Although Nina Scheer, the SPD’s energy policy spokesperson, refuted the accusation of a party blockade, she informed the “Handelsblatt” that laws such as the EEG revision or the grid package are “not compatible with the goals and measures set out in the coalition agreement”. The newspaper noted that both the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economic Affairs declined to comment on the ongoing deliberations.
Politics
